Emmanuel Wanyonyi/ FILEOlympic 800m champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi will be gunning for a fourth consecutive Diamond League victory when he lines up in the men’s two-lap showdown at the London leg on Saturday.
The 20-year-old Kenyan, who has lit up the circuit with a string of dominant performances, headlines a stellar cast and is set to reignite his rivalry with Olympic silver medallist Marco Arop of Canada. Wanyonyi’s Diamond League campaign began on a shaky note on May 25 in Rabat, where he secured a third-place finish, clocking 1:43.37.
He trailed Botswana's Tshepiso Masalela, who won in 1:42.70 and second-placed Max Burgin of Britain (1:43.34). However, the Kenyan middle distance ace bounced back emphatically at the Oslo leg on June 12, racing to his first Diamond League win of the season in 1:42.78. Spain’s Mohamed Attaoui (1:42.90) and Algeria’s Djamel Sedjati (1:43.06) completed the podium.
Wanyonyi maintained his blistering form at the Stockholm stop on June 15, powering to a 1:41.95 win ahead of Sedjati (1:42.27) and American Josh Hoey (1:42.43). His latest triumph came at the Monaco Diamond League last Friday, where he ran a world-leading 1:41.44 to claim his third straight victory in the circuit. Hoey (1:42.01) and Sedjati (1:42.20) followed in his wake.
Wanyonyi is the only athlete this season to have dipped under 1:42 over the 800m.In his post-race interview, Wanyonyi revealed he had prepared himself to run a world lead in Monaco. "I came here prepared for this race. I am thankful I was able to run a season best, world lead and meeting record," he said. "I gave my best today, so I am happy with the result," he noted.
The races are part of his build-up for the Tokyo World Championships later in September. " The focus now is on the preparations for the next races before the World Championships."
In London, Wanyonyi will flex muscles with Arop, American Bryce Hoppel, Gabriel Tual of France and Attaoui in a star-studded field.
Meanwhile, fresh from securing her 5,000m ticket to the World Championships at the Prefontaine Classic on July 5, Margaret Akidor will spearhead Kenya’s charge over the distance in London. At the Pre Classic, which doubled as Kenyan Trials, Akidor clocked 14:30.34 for fourth place, finishing as the third Kenyan across the line to punch her ticket to Tokyo.
Akidor is set to take on Olympic 10,000m silver medallist Nadia Battocletti of Italy, along with a strong Ethiopian contingent led by 2023 African champion Medina Eisa.
Rising star Phanuel Kipkosgei will also be chasing glory in the men’s 1,500m, hoping to extend his impressive run of form this season. However, the in-form teenager faces a stern challenge from Olympic silver medallist Josh Kerr and Ethiopia’s 10,000m Tokyo 2020 champion Selemon Barega.
