Emmanuel Wanyonyi had never raced a 1000m before he arrived in Monaco this week.
As it turned out, the Kenyan could hardly have dreamed of a better debut over the distance.
The reigning Olympic, world and Diamond League champion over 800m, Wanyonyi has long been chasing the world record over two laps.
On Friday, he showed his record-breaking calibre over the kilometre instead, delivering one of the finest of his 14 career Diamond League wins to date.
Pushed all the way by Britain’s Jake Wightman, the Kenyan had to dig deep to find some extra pace in the final 200 metres.
Having powered his way down the home straight, the Wanda Diamond League’s Official Timekeeper OMEGA clocked him in at 2:11.83, a new world record.
The time was 0.13 faster than Noah Ngeny’s previous world record, set 27 years earlier in 1999.
It was the first world record in the Diamond League this season, and a potential sign of things to come from the 800m ace.
“This was the first time I ran the 1.000m, and directly breaking the world record makes me so happy. I want to thank the other athletes to push me to my limit,” said Wanyonyi, who returns to Diamond League action in the 800m in London next Sunday.
“I don´t want to talk about the world record in the 800m. I first want to run fast and improve my
personal best. Let me keep quiet, actions speak louder than words.”
