Rudisha, 33, who has not retired, but has not raced since 2017, was pictured standing next to an overturned plane in a field after the frightening incident.

He and five others were leaving an event known as the Masai Olympics in Kimana, Kenya, when the small airplane they were on was forced to make an emergency landing shortly after take-off, according to Big Life, which was one of the organisers of the event.

Big Life confirmed to CNN today that Rudisha and the other passengers were fine, with the Olympic champion having "suffered no significant physical injuries."

"It happened very fast," said Rudisha, whose winning time at the London 2012 Olympics, 1min 40.91sec, still stands as the world record, as reported by CNN.

"We’re lucky we survived.

"There were just a few injuries, but most of us came out without any major injuries."

Describing the sequence of events to the Daily Nation, Rudisha said: "All was well close to seven or eight minutes into the flight when the engine of the plane suddenly went quiet.

"[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.

"He did an incredible job to keep the plane afloat and stable for long."

It is Rudisha’s second recent brush with death - in August 2019 he was unharmed when his SUV collided with a bus on a highway near Keroka and sustained heavy damage.

In 2020, while preparing to seek a third Olympic title in Tokyo, Rudisha needed a plate to be inserted into his left ankle after breaking it when he stepped on uneven ground at his rural home in Kilgoris, Narok County.

Rudisha became only the fourth man in history to win two Olympic 800m titles when he successfully defended his title at the Rio 2016 Olympics.