Esther Oyugi
On Saturday in Eugene, Kenya’s Emmanuel Korir added the world 800m title to his Olympic victory by delivering his signature devastating kick.
Djamel Sedjati of Algeria won the silver medal with a time of 1:44.14, and Marco Arop of Canada won the bronze with a time of 1min 43.71sec (1:44.28).
At Hayward Field, another Algerian, African champion Slimane Moula, quickly took the lead from the other eight competitors.
Arop passed in the inside lane and maintained the lead to the final lap’s bell.
However, around the 200-meter mark, Korir kicked, deftly moving past the field and into pole and maintaining his composure all the way to the finish line for what appeared to be an academic triumph.
Beatrice Chebet, a former world junior champion who represented Kenya in the women’s 5000-meter final, took second place behind Gudaf Tsegay of Ethiopia in a thrilling race.
Olympic bronze medalist Tsegay sprinted down the finish line to win in 14 minutes, 46.29 seconds for the gold. Chebet finished in second place at 14 minutes, 46.75 seconds.
Dawit Seyaum, another Ethiopian, wins bronze (14:47.36).
Sifan Hassan, the Dutch Olympic champion, could only place sixth, meaning she would leave Oregon without placing on the podium in either the 5000 or 10,000 meters.
GIPHY App Key not set. Please check settings