Wanyonyi beats Marco Arop to Diamond League title

Emmanuel Wanyonyi got the perfect consolation to the missed world title after clinching the Diamond League crown on Sunday evening at the Hayward Field in Oregon.

Wanyonyi clocked a world-leading time 1:42.08, piping the red-hot and reigning world champion Marco Arop of Canada in the process to lay hands on the title.

So good was Wanyonyi on the track that he broke the meeting record as well as set a new personal best time for him to cap what has been impressive season on a high.

Arop who was bidding to wrap his season with yet another title after running with the global one in Budapest last month finished second in a Canadian record of 1:42.85 which is also his new personal best.

Djamel Sedjati of Algeria who had threatened to out-dip the two while running from the outer lane was third in a personal best of 1:43.46.

Commonwealth Champion Wycliffe Kinyamal faded to a ninth-place finish, timing 1:46.33 after he failed to keep up with the breathtaking pace injected by the top three athletes in the final bend, all the way to the tape.

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Wanyonyi’s victory is definitely a consolation to him having lost to Arop in the World Athletics Championships held last month in Budapest, Hungary.

Unlike in the worlds where Arop raced from behind, the burly athlete who had the benefit of a pacemaker surged forward as soon as the gun went off.

He looked to be in full control of the race but appeared to be struggling with pace and energy in the final where Wanyonyi pooled his might and overtook him.

At just 19 years, Wanyonyi will be pleased to have closed the season with the title as well as the silver he mined in Budapest.