US athlete credits Kenyan legend for inspiring him to career-best win at London Diamond League

USA athlete Brandon Miller has credited Kenya’s David Rudisha for inspiring him ahead of his 800m personal best time at the London Diamond League on Saturday, 18 July.

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Miller, off a brilliant victory at the Prefontaine Classic on 3 July, stepped it up a notch at the London Stadium on Saturday, soundly beating a stacked field to romp away to a victory that improved his career-best time in the two-lap event by almost a second to 1:42.19.

Timing his race to near-perfection, the understated 24-year-old broke out from mid-field to close down Kenyan Olympic champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi with 200m to go, clinching fourth consecutive victory.

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Unbeknownst to many, Miller had been keenly observing one of the greatest 800m runners in history, including watching his record-breaking run on the very morning of the race.

“Feels absolutely amazing to have run on the same track David Rudisha ran 14 years ago,” Miller told Citius Mag after the race, referencing Rudisha’s famous ‘gun-to-tape’ 800m world-record run of 1:40.91, set at the 2012 London Olympic Games.

“I watched his [Rudisha] race this morning. I remember being in my living room watching that race, and obviously as an 800m runner, that is the race you idolise in a sense, so I drew a lot of inspiration from that race, and I just wanted to come out here and do my best,” he added.

Doing his best he did, stunning a world-class field to win only his second Diamond League race.

Asked of his strategy, the two-time NCAA Indoor champion said he had to stay a tad guided, before flipping a script that had previously impeded him, to prove himself right.

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“In the opening lap, I wanted to get out in third, found myself in fourth, but just told myself to stay patient ,” Miller, who trains with the new mile record-holder Josh Kerr, said. “I saw that the race was going out really fast, but it felt good. The problem I have been having running in the last couple of years is when it feels good, I tried to make a move right there, instead of trying to stay patient.

“But with the 800, we know you only get one move, so I just tried to focus on staying patient through 600, and working my way up to 700, and them kicking my way home in the last 100.”

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When there, Miller blazed away to finish almost a second ahead of Ireland’s Mark English, who came second in a personal best time of 1:42.97.

Homeboy Max Burgin was third in 1:43.30, ahead of Wanyonyi, who timed 1:43.31.

“ I decided I was feeling good, and was able to have the legs coming home,” Miller concluded.