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Canada’s Marco Arop finally breathe a sigh of relief after beating Kenya’s Olympic champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi in the 800m during the Silesia Diamond League action on Sunday, August 25, 2024.

Wanyonyi finished second, and this could be considered a drop in his performance given that he moved to joint second on the all-time list three days earlier when clocking 1:41.11 at the Lausanne Diamond League meeting. In Silesia, the 20-year-old Olympic gold medallist clocked 1:43.23.

Meanwhile, Arop was just shy of the 1:41.20 he timed in taking Olympic silver earlier this month, a performance that placed him fourth on the world all-time list.

“Finally, I get the win. I think this is my first win over Wanyonyi since last year at the World Champs, so it was a good race. The world record is definitely going to go. I think in Brussels,” Arop said after winning the race.

Other performances in Silesia

There were notable performances in other races, with Jakob Ingebrigtsen shattering one of the longest-standing track world records. The Norwegian clocked a staggering 7:17.55 for the 3000m, taking more than three seconds off the mark of 7:20.67 set by Kenya’s Daniel Komen in 1996, according to World Athletics.

Ingebrigtsen is already third on the world all-time list with the 7:23.63 he ran in Eugene last year; he knew there was a big gap even to the second-best performance of 7:23.09, set by Morocco’s Hicham El Guerrouj in 1999.

“It feels special, amazing. I was hoping to challenge the world record here, but based on my training, I can never predict exactly what kind of time I am capable of. I would not have imagined I could run 7:17, though.

“At the beginning, the pace felt really fast, but then I started to feel my way into the race and found a good rhythm. The 3000m is a tough distance. After 4-5 laps, you feel the lactic acid, but you need to get going.

“The conditions were difficult with the heat today, but it is the same for everyone. I have a good team. We use ice vests; we make sure I stay hydrated and am prepared. Now I want to challenge world records at all distances, but it is one step at a time,” Ingebrigtsen, who is a top rival for Kenyans, especially in the 1500m, said.

Finally, Etihopia’s Berihu Aregawi, the Olympic 10,000m silver medallist, produced the third-best performance of all time as he crossed second in 7:21.28.