After three years of injuries and disappointing results, the 2012 Olympic champion returned to the top of his form to win his second World Championship 800 metres gold medal in Beijing. Rudisha had been one of the stars of the London Olympics, but in October 2013 he had needed key-hole surgery on his knee. For a time he was unable to run for more than five minutes and even warming-up was a problem. He described this period as ‘a dark place’. However, in Beijing, in August, he ran a brilliant tactical race to become the first man in history to regain the 800m world title.