Kenya's David Rudisha stormed to victory in the Olympic 800m final in the early hours of Tuesday morning, retaining his title with a devastating final-lap sprint.
Rudisha, the world champion and world record holder, hit top gear in the final 300 metres to become the first man since New Zealander Peter Snell in 1964 to successfully defend the Olympic 800m title.
Rudisha crossed the line in 1:42.15, several metres ahead of Algeria's Taoufik Makhloufi, while fast-finishing American Clayton Murphy grabbed bronze.
The winning time was the fastest in the world since Rudisha set his record of 1:40.91 in London four years ago.
Since the glory of 2012 Rudisha had suffered a couple of injury-ravaged years that dented his confidence and caused him to miss the 2013 world championships.
But the 1.9m (6'3") tall Maasai runner looked in total control of the race as his long stride and fluid running style propelled him to victory.
Kenya's Alfred Kipketer set a fast early pace, going through 400m in 49.23 seconds, but Rudisha sped past him down the back straight and from that moment there was only one winner.
Rudisha said: "I had no doubts. The feeling in my body was good. It is the greatest moment of my career."
