By Victor Kanayo
A Kenyan athlete and two-time Olympic champion David Rudisha has escaped death after a plane crashed in his country.
This is after a light aircraft he boarded suffered engine failure just minutes after take off before crash-landing upside down.
According to reports, the 800 metres world record holder was one of five passengers on board the aircraft on Saturday, which took off from Kimana.
The 33-year-old said the aircraft’s engine had stopped around eight minutes into the flight, prompting the pilot to attempt an emergency landing.
“All was well close to seven or eight minutes into the flight when the engine of the plane suddenly went quiet.
“He [the pilot] saw some clear space where he tried to land the plane but one of its wings hit a tree as the plane started to spin before landing on the rocky field.
“We thank God we all came out alive with some soft tissue injuries that were treated before all were discharged save for one.
“It was a scary episode where you hold your heart in your hand as you pray to God. The pilot did an incredible job to keep the plane afloat and stable for long,” Rudisha told the Daily Nation.
Rudisha had been attending the Maasai Olympics at the Kimana Wildlife Sanctuary, which is held close to Mount Kilimanjaro.
Kenya Masters Athletics chairman Stephen Ole Marai suffered rib injuries in the crash and has been receiving treatment in hospital.
Rudisha, who set the 800m world record of 1:40.91 at the London 2012 Olympics before defending his title at Rio 2016, had previously survived a car crash in 2019.
The two-time world champion escaped with minor injuries when his SUV crashed into a bus after one of his tyres burst.
Rudisha who has not competed internationally for five years, considering veering into coaching.
