Doha: The fifth edition of the IAAF Diamond League in Doha will not feature 800m Olympic champion and World Record holder David Rudisha (pictured).
A calf muscle injury in training forced the great Kenyan two-lap runner to withdraw from the IDL Doha 2014 and to postpone his long-awaited comeback to the track.
“I’m very disappointed not to be able to race in Doha next Friday. I know I’ve got a lot of fans there and I’m sorry I cannot compete for them,” Rudisha said.
His manager James Templeton added: “Unfortunately David Rudisha has had to withdraw from next week’s first Diamond League meeting in Doha.
“He has been training well; progressively getting fitter and stronger these last months and was excited about returning to competition in Doha. It’s been on his agenda these last months and he’s been building towards that.
“However, he had a setback last week in training - a strained calf muscle as he was training on the track - that precluded him from competing in the AK meeting in Mumias on Friday. It’s not a major injury but he’s been sore and unfortunately doesn’t feel able to risk his comeback by racing in the next week.”
The President of the Qatar Athletics Federation and Chairman of the IDL 2014 Organising Committee Dahlan Al Hamad said: “The most important thing at the moment for David Rudisha is to heal his injury and return stronger than ever. I hope he will soon regain his full strength and fitness and be 100% healthy in order to fulfil his 2014 targets.
“Fans will miss the opportunity to see him in Qatar next Friday, nevertheless the IDL Doha 2014 meeting line-up includes so many great athletes, that I am sure spectators in Qatar Sports Club and the TV viewers will enjoy a fantastic athletics night.”
Despite the absence of Rudisha from the 800m race, supporters of the Kenyan team will be rewarded with the presence of the 3000m Steeplechase Olympic and World Champion Ezekiel Kemboi, the former Olympic Champions Asbel Kiprop (1500m – also the World title holder), Birmin Kiprop Kipruto (3000m Steeplechase) and Janeth Jepkosgei (1500m), the reigning 800m World Champion Eunice Jepkoech Sum and the 3000m World Indoor Champion Helen Obiri.
Meanwhile, Omega, the Official Timekeeper of the global premier athletics series, has announced the creation of a mobile application designed to complement their partnership. The new IAAF Diamond League application launched yesterday offers a wide range of useful information about the whole series and the 14 meetings that make up each competitive season, including live results during each of the competitions.
Users of the new app will be able to enjoy live results transmitted during each of the events. It has never been easier to follow all disciplines at the Diamond League meetings.
Timetables, schedules,ticketing details and interesting news are also available in advance of a meeting day and following each meeting, the app presents a three-minute highlights video, photographs of the action and a comprehensive summary of the results.
Fans of great athletics competitions will be excited to find that the application also has some features that are always available, including a dedicated news section with all of the latest information about the Diamond League and its competitors, a gallery of photographs from the meetings, and an interactive Diamond Race menu that allows fans to keep track of their favourite stars’ progress towards the League’s prestigious Diamond Trophies that are awarded at the end of each season.
The new application is available for iPhones and Android smartphones through the App Store and Google Play respectively.
The Peninsula
