Paris: Kenya’s Emmanuel Wanyonyi triumphed in the men’s 800 metres at the Paris Olympics on Saturday, extending his country’s unbeaten streak in the event to five consecutive Olympic titles. The 20-year-old Wanyonyi clocked a time of 1:41.19, marking him as the third-fastest man ever in the distance and setting the fifth-fastest time ever recorded.
Wanyonyi’s performance fell just short of the world record of 1:40.91, set by Kenya’s David Rudisha at the 2012 London Olympics. Despite this, his run was a significant achievement. Canada’s Marco Arop, the reigning world champion, made a dramatic push in the final 100 metres but finished narrowly behind in 1:41.20, missing gold by one-hundredth of a second.
Algeria’s Djamel Sedjati, who had been unbeaten throughout the season and had set four world-leading times, faltered tactically by staying at the back for too long. He crossed the line in 1:41.50, settling for bronze.
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Wanyonyi, who celebrated his 19th birthday just nine days prior, led from start to finish in a race where the first seven finishers were separated by only a second and a half. Notably, fifth-placed Bryce Hoppel set an American record in the race.
Arop’s silver marked Canada’s first medal in the 800 metres across two Olympics. Born in Sudan and forced to flee the civil war with his family at age two, Arop’s achievement was particularly poignant. Sedjati, previously the third-fastest in history, struggled with timing his kick and had to accept bronze.
