The Kenyans though had other ideas. On the back straight Kinyamal saw how Amos was unable to press on and took over the lead. His compatriot Kitilit followed in third position. In the final straight though all three were visibly tiring. Kyle Langford and Luke Mathews were sprinting home looking for medals. Kitilit could only finish sixth, and a despearately disappointed Amos strolled home in last position.

Kinyamal though held on, if only just. It was a small miracle, he said. Due to a stiff back it had been unsure whether he could start at all. And now he could dream of more success. His career at the 800 m started only recently, since he was more inclined to do the high jump. And perhaps, he said, he may now meet David Rudisha, his hero. Who lives just a few minutes away, but who he has never yet spoken to. Surely that wish will soon be granted now.

    Result:
 1  Wycliffe Kinyamal      KEN   1:45.11
 2  Kyle Langford          ENG   1:45.16
 3  Luke Mathews           AUS   1:45.60
 4  Jake Wightman          SCO   1:45.82
 5  Brad Mathas            NZL   1:46.07
 6  Jonathan Kitilit       KEN   1:46.12
 7  Joseph Deng            AUS   1:47.20
 8  Nijel Amos             BOT   1:48.45

And another one! After a streak of indoor victories this season Adam Kszczot was the clear favourite before the race. When no one wanted to take the lead during the first two laps (just 55.77 at 400 m) they played right into the hands of the quick Pole. With two devastating finishing laps (the last one in 25.06!) he proved once again that he is next to unbeatable in any sort of tactical race.

Kszczot has now collected an amazing array of medals: twice he took silver at the outdoor WC. Two golds and a bronze at the outdoor EC. Three European indoor titles, and now a World Indoor Gold to go with his silver from 2014 and his bronze from way back in 2010.

After the finish there was a bit of controversy since Drew Windle was initially disqualified for pushing. At the indoor 800 m, with its tight bends and high pace a bit of contact is almost unavoidable, so reasonably enough he was reinstated again.

    Result:
 1  Adam Kszczot           POL   1:47.47
 2  Drew Windle            USA   1:47.99
 3  Saul Ordóñez           ESP   1:48.01
 4  Elliot Giles           GBR   1:48.22
 5  Álvaro de Arriba       ESP   1:48.51
 6  Mostafa Smaili         MAR   1:48.75

Emmanuel Korir may be the brightest talent at 800 m currently, and he gave yet another demonstration of his abilities. During the Millrose Games at New York he outpaced Donavan Brazier with a final lap in just over 26 seconds and finished in a sensational time of 1:44.21, the fastest indoor time for 18 years.

Korir's time means he is now third fastest on the all time indoor list. Only the legendary Wilson Kipketer and Yuriy Borzakovskiy have ever run faster. Korir also set a new African record, improving the previous record pf 1:44.52 which was held by Mohamed Aman since 2014.

Behind Korir American runners Brazier an Drew Windle set PB's as well. They are now ranked as number two and three on the US all time indoor list, with just Johnny Gray's long standing (1992!) 1:45.00 ahead of them.

    Result:
 1  Emmanuel Korir         KEN   1:44.21
 2  Donavan Brazier        USA   1:45.35
 3  Drew Windle            USA   1:45.53
 4  Kyle Langford          GBR   1:46.43
 5  Clayton Murphy         USA   1:46.61
 6  Jesse Garn             USA   1:47.58
 7  Sho Kawamoto           JPN   1:47.78
 8  Wesley Vázquez         PUR   1:47.80
 9  Casimir Loxsom         USA   1:50.54

The Diamond League had a different setup this season. No longer was the athlete who had collected most points declared the winner. Instead the model was much simpler: gather points to qualify for the final, then simply win the final.

Kipyegon Bett and Nijel Amos looked like the favorites, although Adam Kszczot with his sprint finish could not be discounted. The pace was fast - below 50 seconds for the first lap. Amos took the lead, and the Kenyan contingent could only follow. Disappointingly none of them could finish in the top three.

Instead the challenge came from Poland. Kszczot came from behind and came real close - but he was unable to get past Amos. What he didn't see was that his compatriot Marcin Lewandowski was finishing strongly as well. Kszczot looked left, saw no-one coming and eased up. Lewandowski went right and sneaked past on the line, running a seasons best in the process.

But Nijel Amos stayed out of reach. And although his World Championship campaign ended in disappointment this win shows he is still the man to beat.

    Result:
 1  Nijel Amos             BOT  1:44.53 
 2  Marcin Lewandowski     POL  1:44.77 
 3  Adam Kszczot           POL  1:44.84 
 4  Kipyegon Bett          KEN  1:45.21
 5  Ferguson Cheruiyot     KEN  1:45.25 
 6  Alfred Kipketer        KEN  1:46.27 
 7  Elliot Giles           GBR  1:47.03 
 8  Asbel Kiprop           KEN  1:49.85