Hill, Rudisha wipe out Kenyans in world race

BEIJING – With the heavily favored Kenyans wiped out of the men’s marathon on Saturday, it came down to Olympic champions Jessica Ennis-Hill and David Rudisha to restore some normalcy on the opening day of the world championships.

Rudisha, one of the many great runners on the Kenyan team, led from start to finish with his majestic stride in full motion to reach the semifinals of the 800 meters.

And after the marathon setback early in the day, Rudisha was glad to see all three Kenyans advance in his event.

“This is a boost for morale,” Rudisha said.

Rudisha set a world record at the 2012 London Olympics but has been slowed by injury since, turning the worlds in Beijing into his biggest event in three years. The semifinals are set for Sunday.

Instead of injury, Ennis-Hill took a break from the heptathlon to become a mother last year, and also has been struggling to find her best form this season.

On a morning when most favorites were off their best, Ennis-Hill rode runner-up finishes in the 100-meter hurdles and the high jump to take the early lead in the seven-event competition. British teammate Katarina Johnson-Thompson was second and favorite Brianne Theisen-Eaton was back in fifth place after a disappointing showing in the high jump.

Ennis-Hill failed to repeat her high marks from the 2012 London Olympics but still scored 2,192 points, an edge of 30 points over Johnson-Thompson. Nadine Visser of the Netherlands was in third place with 2,131 points after she won the opening 100 hurdles race.