NAIROBI, June 19 (Xinhua) -- Kenya's Olympic 800m Champion David Rudisha has confirmed he will only compete in two more Diamond League races in Monaco and Glasgow before heading to the Commonwealth Games in Scotland.
"It is good to get back in form and win a competition," said Rudisha in Nairobi on Thursday.
"As I said, getting back into the competition was the biggest test. Winning is important, but at the moment it was not what was making me fear. I have passed that hurdle and now the focus is on getting my body back to the optimum best and see what else is lined up for me by the management."
The World Record holder 1: 40.91 is also the 2012 Olympic gold medallist and 2011 IAAF World Champion at 800 meters.
In his U.S. debut in New York in 2012, Rudisha sent the crowd into a frenzy with a stunning final lap that saw him stop the clock at 1:41.74, the fastest time ever run in USA. The 25-year-old Kenyan holds six of the 10-fastest times in history.
But after suffering a knee injury in training in 2013, Rudisha has been absent all through, only returning to competition a month ago.
He lost in Eugene, Preffontaine Classic on May 31 finishing seventh in 1:44, but returned stronger in New York to win. Now he has confirmed he will be heading back to the Diamond League Meeting in Glasgow, Scotland, on July 11.
The meeting has been moved from its traditional venue in London to Glasgow, which will also host the 20th Commonwealth Games from July 23 to Aug. 3.
His Coach Bro Colm O Connell said it was a positive indication that Rudisha is picking on well.
"That was a good show. But we can't push him hard. He will have hit his top from at least in a month's time before the Commonwealth Games.
"He will compete in Glasgow and then head to Monaco, where he will take on the world's best line up in 800m. He will return to the Commonwealth Games, also in Glasgow," said O Connell.
Kenyans have claimed a fair of the IAAF Diamond League series, with eight meeting on cards thus far.
On Tuesday, Ethiopia's track assassin Genzebe Dibaba and World Indoor Champion Caleb Ndiku Mwangangi were among the highlights of an entertaining 53rd edition of Ostrava's Golden Spike, Czech Republic.
The IAAF World Challenge meeting hosted to three world record attempts. Although none of them materialised, the near-capacity crowd at the Mestsky Stadium did not leave disappointed, as five meeting records were broken and seven world-leading marks were set.
Alongside Rudisha, other star performances on the 14-leg meeting have seen two IAAF Diamond League records were set in Eugene, as world indoor champion Ayanleh Souleiman clocked 3:47.32 in the mile and Mercy Cherono ran 9:13.27 over two miles.
In Doha, Hellen Obiri set an IAAF Diamond League record of 8:20.68 in the 3000m, while Perkovic broke her own IAAF Diamond League record in the discus with 70.52m in Shanghai.
There are eight athletes, however, who are just two more wins away from winning the Diamond Race in their event.
They are shot putter Valerie Adams, discus thrower Sandra Perkovic, pole vaulter Renaud Lavillenie, 800m runner Eunice Sum, 400m runner Novlene Williams-Mills, 400m hurdler Kaliese Spencer, triple jumper Will Claye and 110m hurdler Pascal Martinot-Lagarde.
Six athletes - Lavillenie, Adams, Perkovic, Sum, Williams-Mills and 400m runner LaShawn Merritt - have so far achieved a clean sweep this season, having won every Diamond Race fixture for their event.
Lavillenie and Adams have extended their career tally of IAAF Diamond League wins to 20, more than any other athlete. Lavillenie is also on course to win an unprecedented fifth Diamond Trophy this year.
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