Around two weeks ago, the world experienced the global spectacular sporting event that is the Olympic Games. While for just under two weeks the world watched the very best in sports taking their place in the hall of fame, some athletes have used their Olympic medalling to step up from their accomplishments to talk about the pressing global concerns facing young people; road traffic crashes.
For athletes, the chance to compete in the name of their home country is an honour in itself but to walk away with the top spot and enter your country with gold emblazoned around your neck is not only a personal triumph but a moment of immense national pride.
So when David Rudisha (pictured above) broke the world record for 800 meter race in the London 2012 Olympics last month, it goes without saying that he became a national hero. What is more, Rudisha did this for the second time! For nearly 13 years, the 800-meter world record belonged to Wilson Kipketer (1:41.11) of Denmark. It seemed practically unbreakable, until David Rudisha has bettered it twice in the span of just eight days. At 21 years of age, the Kenyan, who was still competing as a decathlete in 2004, has created track and field history.
Now David Rudisha, as a role model for thousands of young Kenyans aspiring for athletic prosperity has expressed his concern at the number of road crashes killing youths in Kenya and beyond the borders in Africa.
The Telegraph capture a picture of Rudisha winning his 800m race at the London 2012 Olympics.
Olympic champion and new world record holder David Rudisha has called for action to save lives on the roads in Kenya and around the world. Rudisha won the gold medal for the 800m at the London Olympics on 9 August 2012 breaking the world record. He joins double Olympic champion Shelly-Ann Fraser Pryce and a host of other top athletes in giving their support to the Zenani Mandela campaign and the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety.
Thanks to the amazing work the Make Roads Safe campaign does to bring high profile personalities into the supporting consortium of road safety enthusiasts, a youtube video was released during the Olympics.
Rudisha said: “I grew up in Kenya and I see that there is a need to save lives. So many people are dying on our roads. During the Olympic Games, the whole world is focused on us. So we want to use this event to save lives on the roads.”
Jamaican Shelley-Ann Fraser, the 2012 Olympic 100m champion and 200m silver medalist, had earlier given her support to the Zenani Mandela campaign, calling for more protection for children on the world’s roads. Other athletes at London 2012 supporting the campaign include: Olympic finalist Kaliese Spencer and Nesta Carter (Jamaica), Gillian Sanders and Rene Kalmer (South Africa) and Edna Kiplagat (Kenya).
The athletes have been deterimed to raise awareness for road safety globally particularly as they come from countries which are confronting severe road injury crises.
You can read more about athletes’ role in promoting road safety at the Make Road Safe wesbite here.
As YOURS plans its Capacity Development Program in Kenya to train young people of road safety issues in late November, we are hoping that Kenyan celebrities and those of high regard to Kenyan youth will help us champion the cause to reduce road crashes in Kenya.