EXPECTATIONS RAN HIGH for a fast 2-lap final, with a number of very fast performances this season, including a Diamond League blazer across townat Stade Charléty that put 4 men in the all-time top 10. Favored Djamel Sedjati of Algeria said that he wanted a WR in the final and the other contenders braced themselves for anything. In the end, the race was indeed very fast, but the winner was Kenyan’s Emmanuel Wanyonyi, the Budapest silver medalist, who turned the tables on Canada’s world champion Marco Arop in the tightest of finishes.
The heats on Wednesday were mostly uneventful, with Wanyonyi running fastest at 1:44.64. All the expected folks got through, except for American Brandon Miller with a 1:46.34. In the next day’s repechage, he got his pass to the semis with a 1:44.21.
Sedjati won the first of Friday’s semis in 1:45.08 over Botswana’s Tshepiso Masalela (1:45.33), Miller bowing out with a 1:45.79 in 5th. In the second semi, Arop’s 1:45.05 topped France’s Gabriel Tual (1:45.16). Third-placer Wyclife Kinyamal of Kenya (1:45.29) was not, once the time-qualifying had shaken out, fast enough to advance. Nor was American Hobbs Kessler (6th in 1:46.20), doubling back from the 1500.
The final semi was much faster. Wanyonyi (1:43.32) and American Bryce Hoppel (1:43.41) won the dash to the line, with time qualifiers going to Britain’s Max Burgin (1:43.50 PR) and Mohamed Attaoui of Spain (1:43.69). Belgium’s Eliott Crestan became the fastest non-qualifier ever with his 1:43.72.
Fast was what the final was all about. By the end of the first 200, Wanyonyi had aggressively taken control with his 24.4, followed by Burgin and Tual. Approaching 400, Hoppel made an outside move into 3rd. Wanyonyi’s 50.3 led past the post, followed by Tual (50.4) and Hoppel (50.5). Arop, in last at that point, passed Sedjati and began his fight forward.
On the backstretch, Tual challenged Wanyonyi and even got a little ahead, much to the delight of the partisan French crowd. The Kenyan fought back into the lead, passing 600 in 1:15.5, the two followed by Hoppel and Arop. Sedjati had moved up to 5th. Wanyonyi controlled the race on the final turn, as Arop passed Hoppel into 3rd.
On the straight, Tual faded, leaving the fight to Wanyonyi and Arop, who went mano a mano to the line.
Wanyonyi won in 1:41.19 to make himself No. 3 all-time. Arop, a hair behind in 1:41.20, got silver and No. 4 all-time. Sedjati passed Hoppel with 60 left, the Algerian claiming bronze in 1:41.50.
The American had to console himself with a 1:41.67 that cut 0.77 off Donovan Brazier’s American Record from ’19. His mark makes him No. 7 ever.
Attaoui followed in 1:42.08, nipping Tual’s 1:42.14. It was the fastest ever for places 2 through 7 (5 being a tie).
Said Wanyonyi, “This race was tough for me. I came to Paris, I told myself ‘This race is not easy because it’s the Olympics, so I need to run my PB to win this.’ That’s why I decided to run in front.”
“It wasn’t the first time that we’ve had a finish like that,” said Arop, who negative-split the race 51.1/50.1. “I knew he was going to have a good last 10m and I was just trying to match him.”
Said Sedjati, whose kick that has proved so devastating on the circuit this summer seemed absent, “I won the bronze, but I wanted the gold. It was a very fast race.”
MEN’S 800 RESULTS
FINAL (August 10)
(temperature 84F/29C; humidity 40%)
1. Emmanuel Wanyonyi (Ken) 1:41.19 PR (WL) (3, 5 W)
(12.7, 24.4, 37.2, 50.3, 63.2, 1:15.5, 1:28.1)
(13.0, 25.6, 37.9, 50.8)
(50.3/50.8);
2. Marco Arop (Can) 1:41.20 NR (4, 6 W)
(13.1, 25.2, 38.1, 51.1, 63.6, 1:16.0, 1:28.4) (12.8, 25.2, 37.6, 50.1) (51.1/50.1);
3. Djamel Sedjati (Alg) 1:41.50 (x, 10 W)
(12.6, 24.9, 37.9, 51.0, 63.9, 1:16.1, 1:28.7) (12.8, 25.4, 37.6, 50.5) (51.0/50.5);
4. Bryce Hoppel (US) 1:41.67 AR (old AR 1:42.34 Donavan Brazier [Nike] ’19( (7, x W)
(12.6, 24.9, 37.6, 50.5, 63.5, 1:15.9, 1:28.6) (13.0, 25.7, 38.1, 51.1) (50.5/51.1);
5. Mohamed Attaoui (Spa) 1:42.08
(12.8, 25.5, 38.3, 50.8, 63.6, 1:16.2, 1:28.8) (13.2, 25.8, 38.4, 51.2) (50.8/51.2);
6. Gabriel Tual (Fra) 1:42.14
(12.6, 24.6, 37.4, 50.4, 63.3, 1:15.6, 1:28.4) (13.7, 26.6, 38.9, 51.8) (50.4/51.8);
7. Tshepiso Masalela (Bot) 1:42.82 PR
(12.4, 24.8, 37.7, 50.8, 63.8, 1:16.4, 1:29.1) (13.7, 26.4, 39.0, 52.0) (50.8/52.0);
8. Max Burgin (GB) 1:43.84
(12.3, 24.6, 37.5, 50.6, 63.5, 1:16.4, 1:29.7) (14.1, 27.4, 40.3, 53.2) (50.6/53.2).
(best-ever mark-for-place: 2–4, =5, 6–7)
HEATS (August 07)
I–1. Eliott Crestan (Bel) 1:45.51; 2. Arop 1:45.74; 3. Peyton Craig (Aus) 1:45.81; 4. Handal Roban (StV) 1:46.00; 5. Abdellatif El Guesse (Mor) 1:46.91; 6. Tumo Nkape (Bot) 1:46.99; 7. Abubaker Haydar Abdalla (Qat) 1:48.42; 8. James Preston (NZ) 1:48.50; 9. Abraham Guem (SSD) 1:48.74.
II–1. Tual 1:45.13; 2. Mark English (Ire) 1:45.15; 3. Masalela 1:45.58; 4. Jakub Dudycha (CzR) 1:45.62; 5. Koitatoi Kidali (Ken) 1:45.84; 6. Edose Ibadin (Ngr) 1:46.56; 7. Mohamed Ali Gouaned (Alg) 1:47.34; 8. Idow Hassan Ali (Som) 1:48.72; 9. Mohammed Dwedar (PLE) 1:54.83.
III–1. Wanyonyi 1:44.64; 2. Catalin Tecuceanu (Ita) 1:44.80; 3. Andreas Kramer (Swe) 1:44.93; 4. Adrián Ben (Spa) 1:45.03; 5. Ryan Clarke (Neth) 1:45.56; 6. Joseph Deng (Aus) 1:45.87; 7. Tibo De Smet (Bel) 1:46.03; 8. Brandon Miller (US) 1:46.34; 9. Yervand Mkrtchyan (Arm) 1:49.91 NR.
IV–1. Sedjati 1:45.84; 2. Elliot Giles (GB) 1:45.93; 3. Hobbs Kessler (US) 1:46.15; 4. Simone Barontini (Ita) 1:46.33; 5. Elvin Josué Canales (Spa) 1:46.48; 6. Pieter Sisk (Bel) 1:46.60; 7. Peter Bol (Aus) 1:47.50; 8. Dennick Luke (Dom) 1:47.54; 9. Musa Sulimann (Sud) 1:49.61.
V–1. Ben Pattison (GB) 1:45.56; 2. Edmund Du Plessis (SA) 1:45.73; 3. Wycliffe Kinyamal (Ken) 1:45.86; 4. Benjamin Robert (Fra) 1:45.92; 5. Navasky Anderson (Jam) 1:46.82; 6. Tobias Grønstad (Nor) 1:46.85; 7. Mateusz Borkowski (Pol) 1:47.50; 8. José Maita (Ven) 1:48.02; 9. Chhun Bunthorn (Cam) 1:53.31.
VI–1. Attaoui 1:44.81; 2. Hoppel 1:45.24; 3. Burgin 1:45.36; 4. Corentin Le Clezio (Fra) 1:45.42; 5. Jesús López (Mex) 1:45.82; 6. Tom Dradiga (Uga) 1:46.05; 7. Kethobogile Haingura (Bot) 1:46.46; 8. Slimane Moula (Alg) 1:46.71.
REPECHAGE (August 08)
I–1. Haingura 1:45.52; 2. Moula 1:45.67; 3. Le Clezio 1:45.72; 4. Bol 1:46.12; 5. Dradiga 1:46.15; 6. Luke 1:46.81 NR; 7. Ibadin 1:49.09; 8. Bunthorn 1:53.42;… dnc—El Guesse.
II–1. López 1:45.13; 2. Ben 1:45.37; 3. Sisk 1:45.49; 4. Roban 1:45.80; 5. Anderson 1:46.01; 6. Kidali 1:46.37; 7. Dudycha 1:49.94; 8. Mkrtchyan 1:50.07; 9. Sulimann 1:50.11.
III–1. Barontini 1:45.56; 2. Robert 1:45.83; 3. Maita 1:46.44; 4. De Smet 1:46.59; 5. Deng 1:48.58; 6. Preston 1:50.53;… dnc—Ali, Abdalla.
IV–1. Miller 1:44.21; 2. Gouaned 1:44.37 =PR; 3. Grønstad 1:44.57 PR; 4. Canales 1:44.65; 5. Clarke 1:44.70 PR; 6. Borkowski 1:45.27; 7. Nkape 1:45.57; 8. Guem 1:49.45; 9. Dwedar 1:54.83.
SEMIS (August 09)
I–1. Sedjati 1:45.08; 2. Masalela 1:45.33; 3. Tecuceanu 1:45.38; 4. Pattison 1:45.57; 5. Miller 1:45.79; 6. English 1:45.97; 7. Kramer 1:46.52; 8. López 1:50.38.
II–1. Arop 1:45.05; 2. Tual 1:45.16; 3. Kinyamal 1:45.29; 4. Du Plessis 1:45.34; 5. Giles 1:45.46; 6. Kessler 1:46.20; 7. Grønstad 1:46.37; 8. Gouaned 1:46.52.
III–1. Wanyonyi 1:43.32 (fastest-ever semifinal); 2. Hoppel 1:43.41; 3. Burgin 1:43.50 PR; 4. Attaoui 1:43.69; 5. Crestan 1:43.72 (fastest-ever non-qualifier); 6. Craig 1:44.11 PR; 7. Haingura 1:44.95; 8. Barontini 1:46.17.
