A prank by Kenyan media has forced Olympic 800m champion David Rudisha to come out and reassure his fans that he is not retiring and is relishing his return to competition in May.
It was reported that a recurrent knee injury had forced 25-year-old Rudisha into early retirement, but Wednesday, the world record holder came out at his training camp in Iten to confirm he is eyeing a shot at the Doha Diamond League and a chance to compete at the World Relays Championships in Bahamas in May in the 4x800m.
"I know many people especially my fans have been wondering for some time now on where I had disappeared to," Rudisha told Xinhua in Iten.
"I do not want to confirm if I will be running in a race tomorrow, but I would like to give an assurance I am back in training. My knee injury has healed, it is now important to regain my fitness in readiness for the international competitions and make my fans proud."
"I too was surprised when I saw the article. Many were shocked to hear that too. And there was a lot response from friends and journalists around the world. I decided to switch off my phone. Days later I am still receiving texts from people who want to confirm from the main source," said Rudisha.