(Reuters) – Twice Olympic 800 metres champion David Rudisha of Kenya escaped unhurt from a plane crash as he was returning from a sporting event at the weekend.
The plane carrying the world 800m record holder and five other passengers crashed in Kajiado county in south-east Kenya after they attended the annual Maasai Olympics competition at Kimana Wildlife Sanctuary on Saturday.
“All was well close to seven or eight minutes into the flight when the engine of the plane suddenly went quiet,” the 33-year-old Rudisha, who won gold at London 2012 and Rio 2016, told the Daily Nation.
“(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 all came out alive with some soft tissue injuries that were treated before all were discharged save for one.”
Stephen Ole Marai, the Kenya Masters Athletics chairman and former middle-distance runner, was transferred to a hospital in Nairobi for specialised treatment after suffering rib injuries.
“It was a scary episode where you hold your heart in your hand as you pray to God,” Rudisha, who was also the 2011 and 2015 world 800m champion, added.
“The pilot did an incredible job to keep the plane afloat and stable for long.”
(Reporting by Anita Kobylinska in Gdansk; Editing by Ken Ferris)
