Sensational Emmanuel Wanyonyi unstoppable in 2024 Rabat Diamond League
20th May 2024
Kenyan men had a night to forget in the 3000m steeplechase race
- Emmanuel Wanyonyi clocked 1:43.84 to win the 800m race.
- Edna Jebitok and Amos Serem also registered podium positions.
- It was a bad day in office for former world champion Conseslus Kipruto who was making his return after being sidelined for over six months.
Emmanuel Wanyonyi was in a class of his own in the 2024 Marrakech
Diamond League held in Morocco on Sunday night, May 19.
The one-time World Silver medalist ran a calculated
race to win the 800m race which had a couple of stars including former Olympic
Games winner Emmanuel Korir.
Wanyonyi waited until the final lap before surging forward
and went on to clinch his first Diamond League title of the year in 1:43.84,
which was slower than the time he posted at the recently held Kip Keino
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The teenager was followed by his compatriot Wycliffe
Kinyamal with the final podium place position going to Meziane Yanis of France.
Kinyamal, who was born in Trans Mara District, clocked
1:43.98 while Yanis crossed the finishing line in 1:44.13.
Meanwhile, Korir did not have enough energy to cope with the
electric pace and ended up finishing ninth in 1:52.14.
Elsewhere, in the 1500m women’s category, Ethiopian runners
led by the highly rated Eisa Medina shone.
Medina produced a monstrous performance to register her
maiden diamond league win in 14.34.16 ahead of Tesfay Fotyen.
Fotyen, who has raced in a couple of races this season,
clocked a personal best time of 14:34.21 to beat Kenya’s Edinah Jebitok. The
latter also stopped the stop watch in a lifetime best of 14:35.64.
Finally, Kenyan men had a night to forget in the 3000m steeplechase
race, where the victory went to the reigning Olympic Games champion Soufiane El
Bakkali of Morocco.
The 28-year-old clocked a season-best time of 8:09.40 to
edge out Ethiopia’s Wale Getnet and Kenya’s Amos Serem. The duo crossed the
finishing line in 8:09.78 and 8:10.82 respectively.
Other Kenyans in the race Abraham Kibiwott, Benjamin Kigen and Conseslus Kipruto finished inside the top 20 positions.
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