Tuesday, September 1, 2026

Kenyan two-time Olympic champion survives ‘scary’ plane crash unharmed 

In 2019, Rudisha also survived a car accident when a tyre of the car he was driving suddenly burst and ran head on into a bus.

• December 13, 2022
David Rudisha
David Rudisha

Kenyan legendary long distance runner David Rudisha luckily survived a “scary” plane crash unharmed in his home country on Saturday.

The two-time 800m Olympic gold medalist was flying alongside five others from an event known as the Masai Olympics in Kimana, Kenya, when the small plane he was flying crash-landed just a few minutes after takeoff.

The BBC said photos taken at a field in Kajiado county in south-east Kenya, where the incident occurred, showed the aircraft upside down.

Rudisha told Daily Nation: “All was well close to seven or eight minutes into the flight when the engine of the plane suddenly went quiet.”

He added: “He (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.

“The pilot did an incredible job to keep the plane afloat and stable for long.”

The 33-year-old left the scene of the incident unharmed, while an occupant, Stephen Ole Marai, was being treated in the hospital for rib injuries. The rest of the occupants were treated for minor injuries but later discharged.

In 2019, Rudisha, who won gold at the London 2012 and Rio 2016 Olympics, also survived a car accident when a tyre of the car he was driving suddenly burst and ran head on into a bus.

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