Wanyonyi dips to become fastest man in the world in 800m
Athletics
By
Washington Onyango
| Jun 10, 2023
Former World Under-20 800m champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi is the fastest man in the world this year in the two laps.
Wanyonyi overcame a strong field by dipping on the line to win the Paris Diamond League 800m race in a new personal best of 1:43.27.
Fresh from retaining his Rabat Diamond League title on May 23, Wanyonyi refused to give up despite a five-man sprint to the finish line beating Marco Arop on the line as the Canadian ran 1:43.30 while Slimane Moula came through for third in 1:43.38
Commonwealth Champion Wycliffe Kinyamal faded in the last 10m to finish sixth, albeit with a season best time of 1:43.56 while Olympic and Wolrd champion Emmanuel Korir was tenth in 1:47.71, a season best.
Canada's Marco Arop led for most of the way, the pace a healthy 50.20 through the first lap.
But as the field entered the home straight, Kenya's Wanyonyi proved to have the strongest finish and came around the outside to get to the finish first taking 0.05 off the world-leading mark he set in Nairobi last month.
Arop held on for second with Algerian dup Slimane Moula (1:43.38) and Djamel Sedjati (1:43.40) setting PBs to claim third and fourth respectively. For the first time since the 2016 edition of this meeting, seven men finished inside 1:44.
World and Olympic silver medallist Keely Hodgkinson opened her outdoor season in stunning fashion in the women's 800m, winning by more than two seconds in a world-leading national record of 1:55.77.
The European champion stuck to the pacemaker and covered the first lap in 57.7 seconds, already a stride or two ahead of the rest of the field. With 200 metres to go, there was clear daylight between Hodgkinson and Jamaica's Natoya Goule, who was being pursued by world indoor champion Ajee Wilson.
But none of them could get near Hodgkinson, who eased down the home straight to cross the line in 1:55.77, taking 0.11 off the British record she set two years ago in Tokyo. Wilson finished second in 1:58.16 and Goule was third in 1:58.23. [Additional reporting by World Athletics]