London Diamond League: The Amount Emmanuel Wanyonyi Took Home After Beating Marco Arop

Emmanuel Wanyonyi

London Diamond League: The Amount Emmanuel Wanyonyi Took Home After Beating Marco Arop

Festus Chuma 08:00 - 20.07.2025

The 20-year-old Olympic champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi shattered the meet record in the 800m at the London Diamond League.

Olympic 800m champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi delivered a masterclass performance at the Novuna London Diamond League, storming to victory in a blistering 1:42.00 in front of a sold-out Olympic Stadium crowd.

The 20-year-old Kenyan broke the meeting record of 1:42.05 set by compatriot Emmanuel Korir in 2018, fending off a strong challenge from world champion Marco Arop of Canada, who clocked a season’s best 1:42.22.

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Wanyonyi’s win marked his fourth Diamond League triumph this season, reinforcing his dominance in the two-lap event.

"I’m so excited to win this race — that’s what I came here to do — and it’s great to set a meeting record too," Wanyonyi said.

"My training right now is at 80%, so I’ll be stepping it up in the next few weeks and over the next races before Tokyo."

Wanyonyi’s winning time also came just a week after he recorded a world-leading 1:41.44 at the Monaco Diamond League, showcasing his growing form heading into the Olympics.

Wanyonyi Walks Away with KSh 1.3 Million

Despite the record-breaking run, the men’s 800m was not among the four selected Diamond + Disciplines at the London meet — categories that award increased prize money of $20,000 (KSh 2.5 million).

Instead, Wanyonyi earned $10,000 (KSh 1.3 million), the standard prize for regular Diamond League event winners.

The 800m women, pole vault women, 100m men, and 1500m men were the selected premium events at the meet. This meant that Wanyonyi’s compatriot Phanuel Koech, who won the men’s 1500m, took home the higher Diamond + purse of KSh 2.5 million.

Still, Wanyonyi's win adds momentum to his Olympic preparations and places him as the clear favorite to defend his crown in Tokyo.