Canada’s Marco Arop ran a season-best time in the men’s 800 metres at the Diamond League meet in London on Saturday, finishing second just behind Kenya’s Emmanuel Wanyonyi.
Arop crossed the line in 1 minute 42.22 seconds, improving on his previous best of 1:42.73 set last week at the Monaco Diamond League event. In Monaco, Arop finished fifth but expressed confidence in his progress. The competitive race in London pushed him to deliver a strong performance.
Wanyonyi, the Olympic champion, won the race in a meeting record time of 1:42.00. This was his second consecutive Diamond League victory, signaling his strong form ahead of the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. He said he was excited to win and set a meeting record. Wanyonyi added that his training is currently at 80 percent and he plans to increase it before the Tokyo championships.
At Monaco, Wanyonyi ran a world-leading time of 1:41.44, showing he is one of the top athletes this season.
Arop said London is a great place to race and that the close competition helped everyone perform better. He trusts his coach’s training plan and is happy to have run a season-best time. His progress shows promise as he prepares for upcoming events.
In the men’s 100 metres, Jamaica’s Oblique Seville won with a time of 9.86 seconds. He beat American Noah Lyles, the defending Olympic 100m gold medallist, who ran a season-best 10.00 seconds. Seville was proud to be the only athlete under 10 seconds that day and said this result gives him confidence for the major championships later this year. He also said winning in London is special because it is a place he wanted to race.
Saint Lucia’s Julien Alfred won the women’s 200 metres in a world-leading time of 21.71 seconds, which also set a new meeting record. Alfred is the reigning Olympic champion in the 100m and won silver in the 200m at the Paris 2024 Olympics. She said she had a strong race and is confident about her 200m form as the World Championships approach. Alfred finished second in the 200m last year before the Olympics but feels much stronger now.
Marco Arop’s season-best run in London confirms his rising form in the 800 metres. His performance, along with the strong showings by Wanyonyi, Seville, and Alfred, highlights the high level of competition as athletes prepare for the upcoming World Athletics Championships.
