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World 800m champion Marco Arop has ambitions of silencing Kenyan sensation Emmanuel Wanyonyi this year while also going for David Rudisha’s 12-year world record
Canada’s 800m world champion Marco Arop and Kenya’s Emmanuel Wanyonyi are set for a major battle again this year with the Paris 2024 Olympics likely to witness a major showdown.
Arop and Wanyonyi had a great battle in 2023 when the Canadian won the 800m gold at the World Championship with the Kenyan settling for silver but both have declared their ambitions for Olympics gold this year.
To achieve that, the two intend to scale down their events with Arop set to skip next month’s World Indoor Championships while Wanyonyi will likely miss the All Africa Games.
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07:00 - 06.02.2024
ATHLETICS Why 800m star Emmanuel Wanyonyi plans to give All-African Games a wide berth
Youngster Emmanuel Wanyonyi has insisted that his main focus is on the Olympic Games and hinted at possibly missing the All-African Games in Accra, Ghana.
“I’m just building up slowly for the Olympics through running this cross-country and then going for my build-up and see how my body is responding as I look for where to run next,” Wanyonyi said after featuring at the Sirikwa Classic Cross-country last weekend.
“I can’t say I will run the All Africa Games because my body is yet to pick up well but I doubt if I will compete there,” he added.
Meanwhile, Arop, who smashed the Canadian indoor 1,000m record, clocking the second-fastest indoor time in history in 2:14.74, at the New Balance Grand Prix in Boston last weekend, is also employing a similar approach.
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16:00 - 18.09.2023
ATHLETICS: Marco Arop draws comparisons between Emmanuel Korir and Emmanuel Wanyonyi
Korir beat the Canadian during last year’s World Championships to take the top prize and Arop was forced to finish second.
“I don’t want to get too ahead of myself,” Arop said after the race while emphasising the need to win gold in Paris and also attempt David Rudisha’s world record of 1:40.91 set at the 2012 London Olympics.
“It’s a big year this year, and I want to become the Olympic champion and chase world records, including the 800m world record,” the Sudan-born runner further stated.
While Arop wants to add a world record to his name in 2024, Wanyonyi has no such ambitions with only Olympics gold on his mind.
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22:00 - 05.02.2024
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"My target (in 2024) is to run 1:41," Wanyonyi, who clocked in a world-leading Personal Best of 1:42.80 to win the 2023 Diamond League final, told World Athletics last December.
“Some people say to me ‘Wanyonyi you can run the world record next year’. But I say no. The world record may come in a few more years, but I am still young.”
At the 2023 World Championships, Arop beat Wanyonyi to gold after clocking 1:44.24 while the teenager managed 1:44.53.
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12:00 - 17.01.2024
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800m world record holder David Rudisha could not hide his joy as he shared the good news of his daughter joining Form One.
The Kenyan, however, insisted poor tactics cost him the win after being advised to run from behind before striking late.
At the Diamond League meeting in Xiamen in September – running from the front with full permission this time from his coach – he finally got his revenge against Arop, clocking another world lead of 1:43.20, with the Canadian in second place in a personal best of 1:43.24.
“I like running against Arop. He is my friend, and he makes me train hard for our competitions. That’s why I need to keep my discipline for next year (2024), for the Olympics,” added Wanyonyi.
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13:00 - 06.02.2024
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With both up and running in 2024, fans are set to watch an intriguing battle between them.
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