NAIROBI, Kenya, Nov 22 – World 800m record holder David Rudisha says the absence of Senegalese talisman Sadio Mane is the biggest blow to Africa’s chances of soaring high at the ongoing World Cup in Qatar.
Rudisha said the African champions would have been a formidable force had their Bayern Munich star not incurred a leg injury in his last match for the German champions before the tournament.
“It is quite unfortunate because Sadio is our best African player currently and a man who loves scoring goals. If he had been fit, I am sure Senegal would have been one of the best teams at the tournament. It is sad but then again that is the nature of sports…injuries are part and parcel of this career,” Rudisha, who won gold in the men’s 800m at the 2012 and 2016 London Olympics, said.
Without their Ballon D’Or runner-up, the Senegalese struggled to convert their chances in their opening Group A tie against the Netherlands on Monday night, losing 2-0 at the death courtesy of Gody Gakpo and Davy Klassen goals.
Regardless, Rudisha is hopeful that the African representatives have enough firepower to propel themselves to the latter stages of the competition.
“As Africans, we must definitely support our own. I will be rallying behind all the other African teams but my best bet is on Senegal to perform the best out of all of them. Sadio’s loss is a big blow but I hope they will do their best even without him in the team,” the two-time World 800m champion said.
Rudisha also earmarked the South American teams of Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay as the top favourites for the Jules Rimet trophy.
“If you go back to history, you see that the South American teams always win the World Cup when it is held outside Europe. The likes of Brazil and Argentina usually go far in the competition and this time round, both of them have been in good form so I expect them to be among the top favourites,” he said.
King David, as he is popularly nicknamed, is an avowed Arsenal fan and could not resist the urge to talk up the English club’s chances at a first Premier League title in 18 years.
“Yes, of course, this time things are looking up. As an Arsenal fan, it feels great to see our team leading the league. Manchester City and Liverpool have dominated the league in recent years and a change is as good as a rest…it is now our turn to win the trophy. We have only lost once this season and if we continue with the same trend after the World Cup, then there’s no reason why we can’t win it,” he said.
Rudisha, who has been out of action for a while owing to nagging injuries, said he is currently working to mould young, upcoming athletes.
