The Kenyan teenager has set a new personal best but finishes second to Algeria's Sedjati Djamel in a thrilling Paris race.
Reigning World 800m silver medallist Emmanuel Wanyonyi delivered an electrifying performance at the Paris Diamond League on Sunday, finishing second in a photo finish against Algeria's Sedjati Djamel.
Wanyonyi clocked a personal best time of 1:41.58, narrowly missing the victory by just two hundredths of a second as Djamel crossed the line at 1:41.56.
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This race marked a significant milestone for Wanyonyi as he not only improved his personal best but also recorded the fourth fastest time ever in the 800m.
Coming into the race with a personal best of 1:41.70, which he set last month in Nairobi during the Olympic trials, Wanyonyi was previously the third-fastest man in the event.
However, Djamel’s performance now places him at the top of the world rankings and as the third-fastest man ever, pushing Wanyonyi to fourth.
The race in Paris was a spectacle of athletic prowess featuring a nail-biting finish that saw France's Gabriel Tual also clock a near-record time of 1:41.61 to secure third place.
The competition was fierce, with Aaron Kemei and Wyclife Kinyamal from Kenya both finishing in fourth position, each recording a time of 1:42.08.
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Eliott Crestan from Belgium took sixth place with a time of 1:42.43, followed by Sweden’s Andreas Kramer in seventh at 1:43.66.
French athletes Azeadine Habz and Benjamin Robert finished eighth and ninth with times of 1:43.79 and 1:44.30, respectively.
Rounding out the top ten, Tshepiso Masalela from Botswana clocked 1:44.96.
Wanyonyi’s performance was particularly poignant as he had fond memories of Paris, having won the 800m at the same event last year with a then-personal best of 1:43.27.
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His achievement in Paris adds to his growing legacy in the 800m event.
With this new personal best, he continues to demonstrate his potential to challenge the world’s best, drawing comparisons to world record holder David Rudisha and Denmark’s Wilson Kipketer, the only other men to have run faster times in the event.