Wanyonyi outwits Arop, Chebet, Chepchirchir post personal bests in Diamond League
By Joel Sang, September 2, 2023Emmanuel Wanyonyi outwitted his bitter rival from Canada Marco Arop to win the 800m Diamond League race in Xiamen, China, on Saturday, September 2, 2023.
It was a battle of world medallists, and the Kenyan managed to register a win and the fastest record in the race. In the Budapest World Athletics Championship, Arop won gold, and Wanyonyi was the runner-up.
Wanyonyi unstoppable
Wanyonyi found the edge on the approach to the finish line and clocked a personal best of 1:43.20 to win ahead of Arop by 0.04. France’s Benjamin Robert was third in 1:43.88. Britain’s Ben Pattison was ninth in 1:44.87, even though he was third in Budapest.
In the women’s 3000m, Beatrice Chebet displayed a classic performance to clock a personal best of 8:24.05. The Championship bronze medallist in 5000m and the winner in the world cross country title in Bathurst in February finished four seconds ahead of Mexico’s Laura Galvan.
On a positive note, though, Galvan took more than 12 seconds off her national record of 8:28.05.
Chebet gained control even though Galvan kept pushing to finally win, as Margaret Akidor, another Kenyan representative in the race, clocked a personal best of 8:29.88 to finish third.
Ethiopia’s Freweyni Hailu emerged as the winner in the women’s 1500m, as she claimed victory in 3:56.56. The world indoor 800m medallist beat Kenya’s Nelly Chepchirchir, Linden Hall of Australia, and Melissa Courtney-Bryant of Britain, as the top four all dipped under four minutes.
Hailu was seventh in the 5000m at the Budapest Championships and was ahead of the pacemaker, who dropped with 500m remaining. It was a stiff competition between her and Chepchirchir, who went ahead of the Ethiopian with 250m to go, but Hailu ran off the final bend to win.
Chepchirchir posted a personal best of 3:56.72 to finish second.
Serem finishes third
In the 3000m men’s steeplechase, Morocco’s Soufiane El Bakkali ran unchallenged to claim the win. The Moroccan retained his title in Budapest and was dominant on Saturday again as he crossed the finish line with 8:10.31 on the clock. Samuel Firewu, Ethiopia’s world U20 silver medallist, finished second in 8:11.29, and Kenya’s Amos Serem came in third after clocking 8:14.41.