Emmanuel Wanyonyi Upsets Star-Studded Field to Claim First 800m Win of Season in Lausanne

Olympic champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi claimed his first 800m victory of the season in thrilling fashion at the Diamond League Meeting in Lausanne.

Canada’s Marco Arop initially dictated the tempo from the front, but his early aggressive strategy proved costly as he faded in the final stretch to finish fourth in 1:43.18.

Capitalising on the late surge, Emmanuel Wanyonyi held off a hard-charging field to cross the line first in a blistering 1:42.19.

Algeria’s Djamel Sedjati pressed closely behind to take second place with a season's best of 1:42.31. America's Brandon Miller rounded out the top four contenders, placing third in 1:42.55.

Emmanuel Wanyonyi put together an impressive 2026 campaign across multiple distances. He opened his season on home soil by winning the 1500m at the Kip Keino Classic in Nairobi with a time of 3:34.11.

Moving into his signature 800m discipline, Emmanuel Wanyonyi secured consecutive runner-up finishes in Diamond League action at Rabat (1:43.56) and Oslo (1:42.09), before claiming victory in the 1000m at Monaco in 2:11.83.

The reigning Olympic 800m champion rounded out his mid-season performances with a fourth-place finish in the 800m at the London Athletics Meet, clocking 1:43.31.

More to follow…