Emmanuel Wanyonyi smashes 27-year 1,000m world record in Monaco
Kenya’s Emmanuel Wanyonyi broke a 27-year-old men’s 1,000m world record on his debut at the distance during Friday’s Diamond League meeting in Monaco.
The reigning Olympic and world 800m champion crossed the line in two minutes 11.83 seconds, shaving 0.13 seconds off the previous mark set by compatriot Noah Ngeny in 1999.
Great Britain’s Jake Wightman pushed the 21-year-old hard down the final straight before eventually settling for second place.
The 2022 1500m world champion clocked a personal best of two minutes 12.77 seconds at the Stade Louis II, elevating him to fifth on the all-time list.
Focus remains on personal improvement
Algeria’s Olympic bronze medallist Djamel Sedjati took third place, while fellow Briton Ben Pattison finished fifth in a fiercely contested race.
Speaking after his historic victory, the newly crowned record holder expressed his joy but firmly dismissed speculation about targeting David Rudisha’s legendary 800m world record.
“I don’t want to talk about the world record in the 800m. I first want to run fast and improve my personal best.”
“Let me keep quiet. Actions speak louder than words,” the Kenyan athlete added.
Wightman admitted he wished he could have surprised the race favourite but was ultimately satisfied with his aggressive strategy.
“I was nearly there. This was just a long 800, so I wanted to go through quickly and try and hang on for as long as I could.”
Alfred and Duplantis dazzle in Monaco
Away from the middle-distance drama, Olympic 100m champion Julien Alfred delivered a spectacular victory in the women’s 200m.
The Saint Lucian sprinter crossed the line in 21.51 seconds, making her the third-fastest woman in history over the distance behind only Florence Griffith Joyner and Shericka Jackson.
In the field events, pole vault world record holder Armand Duplantis secured another dominant win by clearing a meeting record height of 6.07m.
Mixed results for British hopefuls
Britain’s Matthew Hudson-Smith finished fourth in the men’s 400m, clocking 44.22 seconds as Botswana’s Collen Kebinatshipi stormed to a Diamond League record of 43.44.
Olympic triathlon champion Alex Yee returned to the elite track circuit for the first time in seven years, finishing 12th in the men’s 5,000m.
Jamaican sprinter Oblique Seville rounded off the night’s track action by holding off American Jordan Anthony to win the 100m in 9.88 seconds.
The global athletics calendar now moves to the United Kingdom, with the next Diamond League meeting scheduled for London on 18 July.