The Diamond League final in Brussels was the last race of a long season. It was a star-studded field, but the evening was chilly, so really fast times were not to be expected. But Wanyonyi seemed intent on winning the evening and finishing his season on a high.

The pacemaker did a decent job, but Marco Arop followed so eagerly that he passed the pacemaker just before the bell already, in 49.28. Arop may have hoped for a repeat of what happened in Silesia, but this time he was unable to run away from the field. Instead Wyclife Kinyamal, Djamel Sedjati and Emmanuel Wanyonyi stayed in close contention.

As they went into the final bend Wanyonyi seemed to lose touch a little, and Kinyamal seemed to run out of steam completely, so it was Sedjati who challenged for the lead, and as Arop was tiring Sedjati worked himself into the lead. But on the last fifty meters Wanyonyi suddenly sprinted forwards and overtook Sedjati with just two or three strides to go.

Another win for Wanyonyi in a near perfect season. Olympic Champion, Diamond League champion, he ran 1:41 four times (which had never been done before) and is now joint number two on the all time list. And he only just turned twenty last month!

    Result:
 1  Emmanuel Wanyonyi    KEN   1:42.70
 2  Djamel Sedjati       ALG   1:42.86
 3  Marco Arop           CAN   1:43.25
 4  Gabriel Tual         FRA   1:43.67
 5  Eliott Crestan       BEL   1:43.74
 6  Wyclife Kinyamal     KEN   1:44.00
 7  Andreas Kramer       SWE   1:44.30
 8  Tshepiso Masalela    BOT   1:44.34
 9  Ben Pattison         GBR   1:44.64

In Lausanne the race had turned out to be a battle between Marco Arop and Emmanuel Wanyonyi. But in Silesia the race followed a completely different pattern. Although in both cases Arop was following the pacemaker pretty closely.

But when the pacemaker dropped out Arop ran away at full speed, and no other runner was either willing or able to follow. Arop opened up a big lead, over ten metres, and did not seem to slow down at all. Into the final bend the gap was still there. Onto the final straight and still none of the others was able to get any closer. It was Arop all the way!

And so Arop finished all on his own, and set yet another 1:41 mark, the third of his career. Wanyonyi led the others home, but it was only 1.37 seconds behind Arop - in 800m terms that's almost like finishing next week. Perhaps some runners are getting tired after a long season, but in any case, Marco Arop was simply brilliant.

    Result:
 1  Marco Arop             CAN   1:41.86
 2  Emmanuel Wanyonyi      KEN   1:43.23
 3  Bryce Hoppel           USA   1:43.32
 4  Eliott Crestan         BEL   1:43.48
 5  Wyclife Kinyamal       KEN   1:43.54
 6  Gabriel Tual           FRA   1:43.73
 7  Max Burgin             GBR   1:43.73
 8  Hobbs Kessler          USA   1:43.97
 9  Andreas Kramer         SWE   1:44.32
10  Aaron Cheminingwa      KEN   1:44.60
11  Mohamed Attaoui        ESP   1:44.96
12  Bartosz Kitlinski      POL   1:45.56

Another meeting, another opportunity. Now that he is Olympic champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi has set his sights on improving David Rudisha's 1:40.91 World Record. Pacemaker in Lausanne was Ludovic Le Meur. He was asked for 49.2 and delivered 49.32. But it was Marco Arop who followed him closely as Wanyonyi left a small gap.

Arop was therefore in the lead once the pacemaker dropped out, but seemed to make a tactical error as he left quite a gap on the inside. On the back straight Wanyonyi did not hesitate and stormed through. Perhaps Arop was hoping to catch him on the home straight, but that hope soon proved to be futile, although Arop still managed to run the second 1:41 of his career.

Wanyonyi grimaced as he finished in 1:41.11. Faster once more, yet not quite fast enough. It's the exact same time that Wilson Kipketer ran in 1997 in Cologne, when he set a World Record that stood for thirteen years. Wanyonyi is now joint second on the alltime list. One wonders for how long.

    Result:
 1  Emmanuel Wanyonyi      KEN   1:41.11
 2  Marco Arop             CAN   1:41.72
 3  Gabriel Tual           FRA   1:42.30
 4  Bryce Hoppel           USA   1:42.63
 5  Pieter Sisk            BEL   1:43.48
 6  Catalin Tecuceanu      ITA   1:44.07
 7  Elliot Giles           GBR   1:44.32
 8  Mohamed Attaoui        ESP   1:45.40

He was expected to take the lead and he duly did. In an incredibly fast race young Kenyan talent Emmanuel Wanyonyi never looked back and led from start to finish, even if his lead on the line was only marginal.

Marco Arop and Djamel Sedjati held back in the first part of the race, and perhaps they didn't expect the race to be so fast after a first lap of 50.28. But Wanyonyi has shown he can run 1:41 after a fast first lap and even though Arop and Sedjati probably ran a negative split they couldn't catch Wanyonyi.

The race was so fast that several records tumbled. Never before had four athletes run a 1:41 in a single race. And seven athletes running 1:42 or faster had never happened before either. Bryce Hoppel ran a new national record by 0.67 of a second and still only came fourth.

But the day belonged to 20 year old Wanyonyi. He was raised in a village where running is considered unusual and soccer and rugby are the main sports. Olympic Gold has now comprehensively proven he made the right career choice.

    Result:
 1. Emmanuel Wanyonyi      KEN  1:41.19
 2. Marco Arop             CAN  1:41.20  
 3. Djamel Sedjati         ALG  1:41.50
 4. Bryce Hoppel           USA  1:41.67
 5. Mohamed Attaoui        ESP  1:42.08
 6. Gabriel Tual           FRA  1:42.14
 7. Tshepiso Masalela      BOT  1:42.82
 8. Max Burgin             GBR  1:43.84

The 800m has changed completely in a matter of weeks. Times below 1:43 used to be rare, seen just once per season (as in 2021), perhaps twice (as in 2023) or even not at all, as happened in 2022. Marks below 1:42 were even rarer. Only fifteen marks by five different athletes had ever been run until this year. Fourteen of those were in 2012 or earlier, and half of those were by Rudisha.

This season it all started in Nairobi, with Wanyonyi sprinting to 1:41.70. Two more Kenyans ran 1:42 in his wake. Then Bryce Hoppel led the field at the US trials to win in 1:42.77. But the floodgates really opened in Paris, with no less than three athletes running 1:41 and three more finishing in low 1:42's. Except for Wanyonyi none of them had ever broken 1:43 before.

Now in Monaco another ultrafast race unfolded. Djamel Sedjati ran another 1:41, and five more athletes ran 1:42. Mohamed Attaoui and Ben Pattison had never even broken 1:44 before. And for the first time in history ten athletes ran below 1:44.00 in a single race.

That makes sixteen marks below 1:43:00 by eleven different athletes so far this season already. On top of that we have seen five marks of 1:41 by Sedjati (twice), Wanyonyi (twice) and Gabriel Tual. What on earth will we see at the Olympics?

    Result:
 1  Djamel Sedjati         ALG   1:41.46
 2  Mohamed Attaoui        ESP   1:42.04
 3  Gabriel Tual           FRA   1:42.10
 4  Aaron Cheminingwa      KEN   1:42.13
 5  Ben Pattison           GBR   1:42.27
 6  Marco Arop             CAN   1:42.93
 7  Andreas Kramer         SWE   1:43.13
 8  Eliott Crestan         BEL   1:43.19
 9  Catalin Tecuceanu      ITA   1:43.75
10  Benjamin Robert        FRA   1:43.95

After Emmanuel Wanyonyi's amazing run in Nairobi of 1:41.70 expectations were high for the meeting in Paris. But few would have foreseen how many records would be broken on this special night.

The pacemaker (Sieradzki) did an excellent job. Wanyonyi was close behind and crossed 400m around 49.5, world record pace. During lap two he managed to maintain this very fast pace. But amazingly several other runners stayed with him. Djamel Sedjati even passed him on the final straight, European Champion Gabriel Tual came very close, and eventually these three sprinted to the line, where Sedjati just edged out Wanyonyi for the win.

The results were breathtaking. Three men finished in 1:41 for the first time in history. With only Rudisha and Kipketer ever having run faster the top three are now numbers three, four and five on the all time list. There were big national records for Sedjati, Tual, Crestan and Kramer. Never had three athletes gone below 1:42.50 in a single race, and here no less than six athletes broke 1:42.50! It was a magical race.

    Result:
 1  Djamel Sedjati         ALG   1:41.56
 2  Emmanuel Wanyonyi      KEN   1:41.58
 3  Gabriel Tual           FRA   1:41.61
 4  Aaron Cheminingwa      KEN   1:42.08
 5  Wyclife Kinyamal       KEN   1:42.08
 6  Eliott Crestan         BEL   1:42.43
 7  Andreas Kramer         SWE   1:43.66
 8  Azeddine Habz          FRA   1:43.79
 9  Benjamin Robert        FRA   1:44.30
10  Tshepiso Masalela      BOT   1:44.96

Marco Arop is World 800m Champion, and he hardly needed to qualify for the Olympic Games. But Arop decided to use the Canadian trials to see if he was ready for Paris. And so he tried to run real fast.

Arop ran the semifinal and the final. Twice he took the lead right from the gun. Twice he ran the entire race well ahead of every other athlete. After all, apart from Arop himself, Canada doesn't have any real top 800m athletes currently.

But Arop wanted to see whether he could run two fast races within two days. And he definitely could! In the semifinal, on June 28, he finished after 1:43.53. A day later, June 29, he won the final in 1:43.71.

It's only the second time in history that an athlete has run below 1:44 on consecutive days. The only other time this happened was when Joaquim Cruz ran 1:43.82 and 1:43.00 in the Olympic semifinal and final. That was all of forty years ago, way back in 1984.

The US trials are often a minefield for favourites. So Bryce Hoppel, easily the fastest US runner this season, decided not to risk a tactical and probably unpredictable race.

Right from the start Hoppel took the lead and kept the pace fast. A first lap of 51.11 ensured that this race would be anything but tactical. Only Brandon Miller could keep in touch as Hoppel ran on relentlessly.

On the final straight Hoppel ran away easily from the others and finished in 1:42 for the first time in his career, which set a new meet record as well. Behind Donavan Brazier and Johnny Gray he is now the third fastest US athlete of all time. Miller ran out of steam but still finished third as only Hobbs Kessler managed to get past him. Hoppel, Kessler and Miller will therefore represent the USA in Paris.

    Result:
 1  Bryce Hoppel        USA   1:42.77
 2  Hobbs Kessler       USA   1:43.64
 3  Brandon Miller      USA   1:43.97
 4  Josh Hoey           USA   1:44.12
 5  Jonah Koech         USA   1:44.32
 6  Shane Cohen         USA   1:44.65
 7  Clayton Murphy      USA   1:44.80
 8  Abraham Alvarado    USA   1:44.90
 9  Tinoda Matsatsa     USA   1:45.70

Emmanuel Wanyonyi is one of Kenya's brightest hopes for an Olympic medal at the middle distances. So it was a bitter disappointment when Wanyonyi seemed out of sorts during the heats of the Kenyan trials. (It later turned out he had forgotten his race number and had to run back to the hotel to fetch it - thus being exhausted at the start already!) As he was trying to reach the front he collided with another athlete just before the finish and fell. It was decided he was tripped and so Wanyonyi was reinstated into the final.

It would be an understatement to say that Wanyonyi justified that decision. Right from the start he took the lead and made sure the pace was so fast that only a few athletes were able to follow. It seemed a suicidal tactic, but Wanyonyi knew better. He did not slow down on the second lap and turned his race into a demonstration.

At the finish the clock stopped at the stunning time of 1:41.70. Only Kipketer and Rudisha have ever run faster, so it makes Wanyonyi the third fastest athlete of all time. It is also the fastest time since Rudisha's Olympic triumph in 2012, and the fastest time ever run on African soil. Only five athletes had ever broken 1:42, and Wanyonyi has now made it six.

Wyclife Kinyamal ran a big new PB to take second. Koitatoi Kidali had never even broken 1:45, and to see such a relatively unknown athlete run so fast was another major surprise. The Kenyans are ready for Paris!

    Result:
 1  Emmanuel Wanyonyi      KEN   1:41.70
 2  Wyclife Kinyamal       KEN   1:42.50
 3  Koitatoi Kidali        KEN   1:42.66
 4  Alex Kipngetich        KEN   1:43.74
 5  Aaron Cheminingwa      KEN   1:44.51
 6  Laban Chepkwony        KEN   1:44.83
 7  Festus Lagat           KEN   1:45.16
 8  Collins Kipruto        KEN   1:45.97
 9  Nicholas Kebenei       KEN   1:46.29
10  Kelvin Loti            KEN   1:48.70

It always promised to be a very open tournament. A few title candidates stayed away, preferring preparation for the Olympics later this season. But many others felt it was a great opportunity to add silverware to their career, in a discipline where runners from Africa and America often dominate.

And so the races started with four heats, two semifinals and in almost every race it seemed there were at least six runners that might well qualify. Spain, France, Italy, Great Britain and Belgium all had three runners that looked able to go deep. But competition was stiff, and many good runners failed to make it into the final.

Eventually Spain was the only country with more than one athlete in the final. De Arriba took an early lead, Attaoui came from behind to get silver, but it was Gabriel Tual who gave France a gold medal. The home crowd were thrilled as Tecuceanu managed to score a bronze.

    Result:
 1  Gabriel Tual          FRA  1:44.87
 2  Mohamed Attaoui       ESP  1:45.20
 3  Catalin Tecuceanu     ITA  1:45.40
 4  Álvaro de Arriba      ESP  1:45.64
 5  Andreas Kramer        SWE  1:45.70
 6  Adrián Ben            ESP  1:46.54
 7  Elliot Giles          GBR  1:47.06
 8  Ole Jakob Solbu       NOR  1:51.33

At the bell the 800m Diamond League race in Stockholm seemed wide open. Although Ben Pattison had a small lead (behind the pacemaker, of course) the other athletes were still bunched fairly tightly together.

On the back straight Pattison was still leading ahead of Bryce Hoppel. But then Djamel Sedjati started moving forward and quickly reached the leaders. As soon as they came into the finishing straight Sedjati sprinted away and left the others miles behind. At the line his lead was more than a full second!

With 1:43.23 Sedjati also ran a new World Lead, and he appeared to be as fresh as if he had just taken a walk in the park. With the Olympics just a few months away Sedjati must surely be a major medal candidate in Paris.

    Result:
 1  Djamel Sedjati      ALG   1:43.23
 2  Bryce Hoppel        USA   1:44.29
 3  Tshepiso Masalela   BOT   1:44.44
 4  Ben Pattison        GBR   1:44.44
 5  Benjamin Robert     FRA   1:44.73
 6  Elliot Giles        GBR   1:45.10
 7  Andreas Kramer      SWE   1:45.27
 8  Jake Wightman       GBR   1:45.35
 9  Slimane Moula       ALG   1:48.02

The atmosphere was quite magical when the 800 m athletes lined up. Just as they were ready to go Armand Duplantis jumped to a new and almost unbelievable World Record of 6.24 in the pole vault. Would this inspire the athletes? The pacemaker did a good job, reaching halfway in just over 50 seconds. As expected, Marco Arop was following him closely.

As soon as the pacemaker dropped out Arop took a serious lead, and only Wyclife Kinyamal and Tshepiso Masalela were in a position to get close. And Kinyamal did get close. He even drew level with just a few strides to go and seemed the most likely winner at that point. But Arop found something extra, and threw himself forward thus securing victory after all.

Rising star Masalela came third and can be happy with a splendid new PB, running 1:43 for the first time. And the home crowd had something to celebrate too, because Liu Dezhu ran a new Chinese Record.

    Result:
 1  Marco Arop             CAN   1:43.61
 2  Wyclife Kinyamal       KEN   1:43.66
 3  Tshepiso Masalela      BOT   1:43.88
 4  Alex Kipngetich        KEN   1:44.76
 5  Andreas Kramer         SWE   1:44.81
 6  Elias Ngeny            KEN   1:45.37
 7  Clayton Murphy         USA   1:45.38
 8  Abdellatif El Guesse   MAR   1:45.65
 9  Liu Dezhu              CHN   1:45.66
10  Ethan Hussey           GBR   1:46.20
11  Peter Bol              AUS   1:47.02
12  Mark English           IRL   1:47.14

After an eventful final Bryce Hoppel, who had stayed well clear of trouble, took over the lead on the final straight from Eliott Crestan and sprinted to the gold. Behind him Andreas Kramer nudged ahead of Crestan as well. Benjamin Robert and a terribly disappointed Mariano García finished way back. Robert was later disqualified after what had been a tumultuous race.

The root of the trouble had been the two very different semfinals. One was quick, but in the other García had taken the lead, slowed the race down, then outsprinted the others. His plan might have been to do the same in the final. After all, he had also won the 2022 European Championships from the front. But Robert had decided he was not going to let that happen.

Straight from the start Robert sprinted into the lead, bumping ahead of García. The Spaniard wasn't happy with that. After one round he accelerated and took over the lead, as Robert went backward fast. Hoppel was quietly following, but then Crestan moved up, and as García was slowing down again the Belgian went around and across, and so the Spaniard took a knock once more. García had now lost a lot of energy and was fading fast as well.

Meanwhile Hoppel, who had avoided all these clashes, had saved the best for last. He finished in a new World Leading time, and after winning a bronze medal two years ago he has now added a World Indoor Gold to his collection.

    Result:
 1  Bryce Hoppel           USA   1:44.92
 2  Andreas Kramer         SWE   1:45.27
 3  Eliott Crestan         BEL   1:45.32
 4  Catalin Tecuceanu      ITA   1:46.39
 5  Mariano García         ESP   1:48.77
 -  Benjamin Robert        FRA   DQ (1:46.80)