LAUSANNE: Olympic champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi of Kenya came tantalizingly close to breaking the men’s 800 meters world record on Thursday at the Lausanne Diamond League, clocking 1:41.11—just 0.20 seconds shy of the global mark.
Wanyonyi, who celebrated his 20th birthday during the Paris Olympics, was narrowly defeated by Kenya’s David Rudisha’s record of 1:40.91 set at the 2012 London Olympics. Despite this, Wanyonyi’s time was the second fastest ever recorded, equaling Wilson Kipketer’s 1997 performance.
“I’m thrilled to have posted the world lead time this season,” Wanyonyi said. “I really enjoyed the crowd, and I’m hopeful for another shot at the record in Silesia.”
The Kenyan athlete, aided by wavelength technology and pace-setters, showed impressive endurance and pace, bringing Rudisha’s record within reach. French competitor Gabriel Tual, who finished third, anticipated that the record might fall soon, potentially in Silesia or Brussels.
In other events, Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo continued his strong form with a winning 200m time of 19.64 seconds. Despite a break in training, Tebogo maintained his season’s form following his Olympic success.
American Noah Lyles, who recently announced the end of his season, was absent from the meet. Meanwhile, Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen avenged his Olympic defeat by Cole Hocker, winning the 1,500m in 3:27.83. Hocker finished second in the race.
Chase Jackson of the US claimed victory in the women’s shot put with a throw of 20.64 meters, overcoming Germany’s Olympic champion Yemisi Ogunleye.
Jamaican Rasheed Broadbell edged out American Grant Holloway in the men’s 110m hurdles, with a time of 13.10 seconds.
Greek long jump champion Miltiadis Tentoglou leapt 8.06 meters to secure victory over Jamaica’s Wayne Pinnock, and Ukraine’s Yaroslava Mahuchikh won the women’s high jump with a height of 1.99 meters.
Dutch athlete Femke Bol rounded off the meet by winning the 400m hurdles in 52.55 seconds, improving on her bronze medal performance in Paris.
