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Paris 2024: Prodigious talent Emmanuel Wanyonyi wins 800m gold

Updated / Saturday, 10 Aug 2024 22:08
Emmanuel Wanyonyi crosses the finish line in the 800m to become an Olympic champion
Emmanuel Wanyonyi crosses the finish line in the 800m to become an Olympic champion

Kenya's Emmanuel Wanyonyi held off one of the strongest fields in history to win the Olympic gold medal in the men's 800m, securing his country's fifth consecutive Olympic title in the event.

The 20-year-old Wanyonyi blazed to a time of 1:41.19 seconds, making him the third-fastest man ever over the distance.

The world silver medallist narrowly missed the world record of 1:40.91 set by Kenya's David Rudisha at the 2012 London Olympics in laying down the fifth-fastest time ever run.


Canada's world champion Marco Arop furiously tried to overtake the Kenyan over the final 100m, but finished one-hundredth of a second behind in 1:41.20.

Algeria's Djamel Sedjati, the favourite after going unbeaten all season and setting four world-leading times, made a tactical error in sitting near the back of the pack for too long and crossed the line in 1:41.50 for bronze.

Jakob Ingebrigtsen of Norway bounced back from defeat in the 1500m to win the Olympic 5000m gold with a fierce final lap, just as he did in last year’s World Championships.

Ingebrigtsen was the defending champion over 1500m but was run out of the medals and determined to make amends in the longer distance, having taking gold over 5000m in the last two World Championships.

His rivals played into his hands by running most of the race at pedestrian pace, until Ethiopian Hagos Gebrhiwet, who became the second-fastest man ever over the distance this year, put his foot down with 600m to go.


Ingebrigtsen did not panic, however, easing his way back onto the leader’s shoulder and forging clear with 250m to go to come home well clear in 13:13.66.

Kenya's Ronald Kwemoi got ahead in a charge for the line to take silver, with American Grant Fisher adding a bronze to the one he picked up in the 10,000m as his country's highly impressive campaign over the middle and longer distances continued.

Kenya's Faith Kipyegon won her third straight Olympic 1500m gold, surging ahead of the pack to finish more than a second ahead of the field.

Kipyegon cemented her status as one of the all-time great middle-distance runners, becoming the first athlete to claim three successive Olympic 1500m titles.

Her winning time of 3:51.29 broke the Olympic record, and she collapsed to the track, hands on her head in disbelief after crossing the finish line.

Australia's Jessica Hull took silver and Britain's Georgia Bell bronze as both found the strength to pass Ethiopia's Diribe Welteji on the home straight.

Hull clocked 3:52.56 and Bell crossed in 3:52.61, a national record and four seconds quicker than her previous best time.

Kipyegon, who broke her own world record a month ago, spent much of the race in second place on the shoulder of Ethiopia's Gudaf Tsegay, but powered to the front with a lap to go and built an untouchable lead.

Tsegay, world champion over 10,000m, faded suddenly and fell back to cross the line last.

American Masai Russell produced a stunning run to win the 100m hurdles title in a blanket finish, edging out home hope Cyrena Samba-Mayela and Tokyo champion Jasmine Camacho-Quinn.

Russell clocked 12.33 seconds as Samba-Mayela deliver France's first track medal of the Games with silver in 12.34 and Puerto Rico's Camacho-Quinn took bronze in 12.36.


Russell was in superb shape after setting a world lead of 12.25 at the US trials in June and she exploded out of the blocks before gliding over the hurdles.

She held on by her fingernails as Samba-Mayela gained ground with every step and Camacho-Quinn gave everything she had to make up for a poor start.

There was a confusing moment as the results board initially showed Samba-Mayela's name first, and then Camacho-Quinn's at the top of the standings, before settling on Russell.

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