Kenya's Wanyonyi Clocks Third Fastest 800m Time in History to Win Olympic Gold

Paris Olympics Athletics day 10: Kenya's Emmanuel Wanyonyi achieved a monumental victory at the Paris 2024 Olympics, winning the men's 800m gold with a time of 1:41.19, marking the third fastest time ever recorded in the event. This remarkable performance showcased Wanyonyi's dominance from the outset, leading the race from start to finish despite fierce competition from the world's best runners.

The race was highly anticipated, featuring a strong field including the world champion Marco Arop and European sensation Gabriel Tual, both of whom had also posted some of the fastest times in history earlier in the season. 

The final was a closely contested affair with Canada's Marco Arop, who clocked a new national and North American record of 1:41.20, narrowly missing the gold by just 0.01 seconds to take silver. Algeria’s Djamel Sedjati, another formidable contender this season, completed the podium with a time of 1:41.50, securing the bronze. Bryce Hoppel set a new American record to finish in 4th place.

Wanyonyi's performance was a continuation of his impressive season, having clocked an extraordinary 1:41.70 at the national trials, which was the fastest time ever recorded on African soil​. He also become the youngest ever winner in the 800 metres in Olympic history.

Emmanuel Wanyonyi: “Arop beat me because of experience last year. He came from the back, then he beat me in the last 20 metres. So this time nobody can beat me times too”. 

Men's 800m Final Results:

Women’s 1500 metres final: 

World 1500 metres record holder Faith Kipyegon from Kenya became the first woman to win three Olympic titles in a single track discipline. Kipyegon crossed the finish-line in 3:51.29 taking almost two seconds off her own Olympic record set when she won in Tokyo three years ago. Kipyegon claimed the Olympic silver medal in the 5000 metres behind her compatriot Brenda Chebet. 

Faith Kipyegon: “It’s a big achievement. I was really looking forward to defending my title and I had a dream. It’s amazing to me that I completed it. I am so happy. This is history. I managed to make history. I have done it. This is an amazing honour, to win the gold medal in the 1500m was my key target”. 

Australia’s Jessica Hull won the silver medal in 3:52.56. Georgia Bell came through with a strong finish to win the third place with a British record of 3:52.61. Diribe Welteji from Ethiopia finished fourth setting a PB of 3:52.75. Laura Muir lost her British record, but she improved her PB to 3:53.27. Susan Ejore also improved her lifetime best to 3:56.07. Three more athletes broke the 4 minutes barrier: US middle distance runners Nikki Hiltz (3:56.36), Elle St. Pierre (3:57.52) and Agathe Guillemot (3:59.08). 

Women’s 100 metres hurdles final: 

This year’s US Trials champion Masai Russell won the Olympic 100 metres hurdles final in 12.33 edging Cyrena Samba Mayela from France, who clinched the silver medal in 12.34 in a very close photo-finish. Defending champion Jasmine Camacho Quinn from Puerto Rico won the bronze medal in 12.35 three years after claiming the Olympic title in Tokyo. 

Nadine Visser from the Netherlands finished fourth in 12.43 edging this year’s NCAA champion Grace Stark with the same time. World indoor and outdoor champion Devynne Charlton  from Bahamas took sixth place in 12.56.

Men’s high jump final: 

Oceanian record holder and world indoor champion Hamish Kerr won the men’s high jump beating USA’s Shelby McEwen after a jump-off. 

Both Kerr and McEwen cleared 2.36m in their first attempt before failing one attempt at 2.38m. They decided to go into a jump-off and not to share the gold medal as in the case of the previous edition of the Olympic Games, where Gianmarco Tamberi and Mutaz Barshim won the title with 2.37m. 

Hamish Kerr: “I am more fatigued from running on to the field then I am from the actual jumping, but I was just happy that I had won. I always talked how amazing the high jump final was in Tokyo. That has such a special place in history. For me to have an exact same scenario this time around, but to choose to do the jump-off, was putting at peace one of those people who wanted to jump-off, so we are both happy to add to add to that history”. 

Kerr had a clean sheet at 2.17m, 2.22m and 2.27m but he needed three attempts at 2.31m. Kerr cleared 2.34m at the first time of asking, while McEwen cleared this height at the third of asking. Both Kerr and McEwen cleared 2.36m in their first attempt. They failed their tries at 2.38m and 2.36 in the jump-off. McEwen did not jump his attempt at 2.34m, Kerr cleared this height to clinch his second gold medal this year following his triumph at the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow with 2.36m. 

Barshim finished third with 2.34m beating three-time Italian champion Stefano Sottile on countback. Barshim had a clean sheet until 2.34m before failing two attempts at 2.36m. Sottile started with first-time clearances at 2.17m, 2.22m and 2.27m before jumping 2.31m in his second attempt. The 2015 world youth champion improved his PB by 1 cm to 2.34m in his first attempt to finish fourth. Barshim won his fourth Olympic medal after finishing second in London 2012 Rio 2016 and gold in Tokyo. 

Mutaz Barshim: “I am really happy. That is very special. It was my dream to get to the Olympics Standing here, the most decorated high jumper in Olympic history, it’s a blessing. It’s been a journey. Now I feel like I have been run over by a truck, but it’s OK. I am getting used to that”. 

Gianmarco Tamberi’s preparation for the final was affected by kidney stones and he cleared 2.22m in his third attempt before failing his three tries at 2.27 and finished 11th.

Men’s 4x400 relay final: 

The US team formed by Christopher Bailey, Vernon Norwood, Bryce Deadmon and Raj Benjamin won the Olympic gold medal breaking the Olympic record with 2:54.43, just a tenth ahead of Botswana. 

Olympic silver medallist Matthew Hudson Smith caught Colleen Kebinatshipi with the fastest split of the second leg clocked in 43.09. They were joined at the changeover by Norwood, who ram his leg in 43.26. Bryce Deadmon extended the US lead on the third leg with a leg in 43.54. 

Benjamin and Tebogo pushed each other in the final leg. Tebogo ran the fastest leg in 43.04, but it was not enough to beat Benjamin, who clocked 43.18 in his split. 

US anchorman Raj Benjamin won his second gold medal at these Olympic Games one day after claiming the title in the 400 metres hurdles in a seasonal best of 46.46. The USA claimed the 19th gold medal in the 4x400 relay in the history of the Olympic Games. Sixteen -year-old Quincy Wilson became the youngest men’s Olympic gold medallist following his run in the heats.   

Raj Benjamin: “I feel like these Olympic Games we were very connected as a team and we fed off each other’s energy. Vernon, Bryce, Shamier and Kailyn set this off for us on the first day in the mixed 4x400 relay and they were infectious after that”                            

Letsile Tebogo, Olympic 200 metres champion, anchored Botswana to their fourth ever Olympic medal in a new African record of 2:54.53. 

Great Britain claimed the bronze medal in a new European record of 2:55.83. South Africa finished fourth in a national record of 2:58.12. 

Women’s 4x400 relay final: 

Shamier Little, Sydney McLaughlin Levrone, Gabby Thomas and Alexis Holmes won the Olympic gold medal by more than four seconds in a North American record of 3:15.17 setting the second fastest time in the world all-list, 0.10 shy of the world record set by Soviet Union at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul. The USA won their eighth consecutive Olympic 4x400 title.  

Gabby Thomas: “We were watching people win medals all week. I was so inspired watching my teammates do what they do. I know what it takes. I know how hard it is to win a medal in track and field. It’s a very cut-throat sport, especially at this level. I was absolutely inspired and very motivated to do it with these girls”

The Netherlands, anchored by a fast leg of Femke Bol in 48.62, came through to win the silver medal in a national record of 3:19.50. 

Great Britain won the bronze medal setting a national record of 3.19.72. Ireland took fourth place setting a national record of 3:19.90. France crossed the finish-line in a national record of 3:21.41. Canada placed sixth in 3:22.01 ahead of Belgium (3:22.40). 

Shamier Little, Olympic champion in the 4x400 mixed relay, clocked a 49.48 split in the opening leg giving the US team a lead of almost one second over Lieke Klaver (50.25). 

McLaughlin Levrone ran the second leg in a sensational split of 47.71 to extend the US lead. Rhasidat Adeleke moved Ireland into second place with a split of 48.92. 

Olympic 200 metres champion Gabby Thomas ran the fastest split of the third leg with 49.30. Nicole Yeargin moved Great Britain into second place ahead of Ireland and the Netherlands. 

Alexis Holmes ran a leg of 48.48 to maintain a lead of 40 metres.

Women’s javelin throw final: 

World champion Haruka Kitaguchi added the Olympic title to her collection one year after winning the gold medal. Kitaguchi sealed the win with a throw of 65.80m in the first round becoming Japan’s only athletics gold at the Paris Olympic Games and first athlete from her country to win an Olympic medal in a field event. 

Haruka Kitaguchi: “I cannot believe this, this wasn’t easy for me. I could not train in the lead-up to the Games, but my physio and my team believed in me. Without their help, I would not have won gold today”. 

South Africa’s Jo-Ane van Dyk won the silver medal with 63.93m. Czechia’s Nikola Ogrodnikova took the bronze medal with a seasonal best of 63.68. 

Kitaguchi, who won the world gold medal in Budapest in the sixth round, took the early lead with 65.80m in the opening round. 

Yulenmis Aguilar from Spain ranked in second place with 62.78m ahead of Australia’s Kathryn Mitchell (62.63m). 

World silver medallist Flor Denis Hurtado moved into second place with a second-round throw of 63.00m. Three women moved past Hurtado in the third round: Van Dyk (63.93m), Ogrodnikova (63.68m) and 2016 Olympic champion Sara Kolak (63.40m). 

Kitaguchi backed up her leading mark with a throw of 64.73m in the fifth round.  Kolak ended her competition with 63.04m in the sixth round.

• ALL ATHLETICS RESULTS