Sainsbury's Glasgow Grand Prix: David Rudisha shines in Scotland
Last Updated: 21/07/14 3:20pm
David Rudisha gave an ominous warning to his Commonwealth Games rivals as he galloped easily away to victory at the Sainsbury's Glasgow Grand Prix.
The leggy Kenyan put in the fastest 800m run anywhere in the world this year to claim the $10,000 first prize at the Diamond League meeting at Hampden.
Beset by knee problems last year, Rudisha showed he is back to his best as he made his first appearance in Britain since breaking the world record on his way to winning Olympic gold at London 2012.
And with less than a fortnight to go before Glasgow 2014, he declared he is ready to go even faster than the one minute 43.34 seconds he recorded at the Games warm-up event.
"It was really good today. I am happy to have run a world-leading time here," said Rudisha. "That was what I was expecting to do.
"I pushed on the back straight in the second lap but I didn't have a lot of power. But if I have good couple of weeks of training I think I will get there.
"I'm very happy ahead of the Commonwealth Games. To come here and run that time is a good experience. I hope to run 1:42 come the Games - that is the target."
Highlight
Rudisha's performance was a rare highlight for the 15,000 fans at Hampden following a disappointing meet marred by the withdrawal of a number of top names.
Olympic long jump champion Greg Rutherford had been one of the big stars willing to travel north, but saw his hopes of a morale-boosting win ended before the action had even got under way as he injured his knee in the warm-up.
With home favourites Mo Farah, Christine Ohuruogu and Adam Gemili also missing following a spate of injury scares, Rutherford's setback was the last thing the organisers needed as they hoped to build excitement levels ahead of the Commonwealths.
And there was little cheer for Eilish McColgan, despite the Scot putting in her fastest 3,000m steeplechase of the year, as her time of 9:44.69 was only good enough for 12th place as she finished almost 35 seconds behind Ethiopian winner Hiwot Ayalew.
McColgan - who has struggled with illness for much of the last eight months - also missed out on the qualifying mark for next month's European Championships and is now unlikely to make the Team GB squad for Zurich.
Disappointed
"I'm really disappointed," she said. "If two months ago someone said to me, 'Don't worry, you'll get down to running 9:44 and feel good doing it', I'd have taken it. But to be just outside that qualifying mark? I couldn't be any more gutted."
Much was hoped for in the women's 800m as Scottish hopefuls Lynsey Sharp and Laura Muir went head to head, but it was England's Jessica Judd who finished third behind American Ajee Wilson, as Sharp and Muir had to settle for sixth and ninth place respectively.
There was joy, however, for Edinburgh duo Chris O'Hare and Jake Wightman as they both produced personal bests to finish fifth and sixth in the men's 1500m.
And Trinidad's Michelle-Lee Ahye - the fastest woman in the world this year - gave another impressive demonstration of her capabilities as she held off double Olympic champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce of Jamaica to win the women's 100m A race in 11.01secs.