Emmanuel Wanyonyi backed up his historic Olympic 800m time by running even faster at his first meet since taking gold in Paris.
Wanyonyi, 20, ran 1 minute, 41.11 seconds — just two tenths shy of a legendary world record — at a Diamond League meet in Lausanne, Switzerland.
It’s the joint-fourth-fastest time in history. Only one man has ever run faster — fellow Kenyan and 2012 and 2016 Olympic gold medalist David Rudisha.
Wanyonyi’s time marked the world’s fastest since Rudisha ran the world record of 1:40.91 in the 2012 Olympic final. Wanyonyi ran 1:41.19 to win the Paris Olympic title on Aug. 10.
DIAMOND LEAGUE: Full Results
Also in Lausanne, Olympic bronze medalist Rasheed Broadbell of Jamaica ran down Olympic champion Grant Holloway to win the 110m hurdles in 13.10 seconds. Holloway, who ran 13.14, was defeated for the first time in 2024.
In the men’s 1500m, Norwegian Jakob Ingebrigtsen pulled away from American Cole Hocker -- 3:27.83 to 3:29.85 -- in a matchup of the last two Olympic gold medalists.
Two-time world champion Chase Jackson won the women’s shot put with a 20.64-meter throw, second-farthest in the world this year and 12 centimeters off her American record.
Jackson, eliminated in qualifying at the Olympics, beat a field Thursday that included gold medalist Yemisi Ogunleye of Germany and silver medalist Maddi Wesche of New Zealand.
Olympic champion Letsile Tebogo of Botswana won the 200m in 19.64 seconds, prevailing by 14 hundredths over American Erriyon Knighton.
Brit Matthew Hudson-Smith took the 400m in 43.96, holding off Zambia’s Muzala Samukonga in a showdown between the Olympic silver and bronze medalists.
The Diamond League season continues Sunday with a meet in Poland, live on Peacock from 10 a.m.-noon ET.