NAIROBI, Oct. 4 (Xinhua) -- Olympic 800m champion David Rudisha of Kenya will not put a timeline on when he will be back in competition despite shaking off hamstring and sitting bone injuries.
The 29-year old last competed at the Hungarian Grand Prix in July 2017 where he won in 1 minute and 44.90 seconds, but sat out the London World Championships after picking up a hamstring injury in training.
His comeback in January was also halted when he experienced pain in his sitting bone, which threw him off the plan further.
But speaking in Nairobi on Thursday, Rudisha said he will return to his base in Iten and continue his rehabilitation as he seeks to be fully fit by December.
"I can't imagine how good it feel to be back into this (training). In God I trust," said Rudisha.
"I doubted whether I will be able to come back but I never lost it. Now the challenge is to get back to top form and being able to make a successful comeback."
Rudisha, who holds the world record at 1:40.91, set at the London Olympics in 2012, believes he will be in contention for the 2019 World Championships, which will be held in Doha, Qatar in October.
He said that his performance in 2019 will determine if he will be strong enough to contest the 2020 Olympics.
Not many 800m runners have competed in more than two Olympics. Rudisha missed the 2008 Beijing Games with a tendon injury, but was strong to win the London gold and retained it in Rio in 2016.
Rudisha, referred by his fans as the King of 800m race in reference to biblical King David, however is asking his fans to be patient with him as he takes the steps of returning to fitness.
However, he failed short to say, his spark that saw him run three world records and won 27 races unbeaten is still much alive in him.
"My fans remain worried but they need to relax and give me time. I have not retired as many said. I am back in training and only time will tell how fast I can run. To be where I am today is by God's grace. I have run 10km in Karura Forest in Nairobi and my body felt normal, no pains. It is a major step in my recovery," he said.
Rudisha intends to start his spadework in December. He is aiming to make the Kenyan team for the 2019 World Championships in Doha.
But Tokyo 2020 remains his main target as he hopes to hang his boots at the highest stage of sports competition.
