Emmanuel Korir shatters Anniversary Games MR

Kenya's Emmanuel Kipkurui Korir (right) races to win the Men's 800m event during the anniversary games at the Queen Elizabeth stadium in London on July 22, 2018. PHOTO | IAN KINGTON |

What you need to know:

  • Korir, the winner in Doha and Eugene, took the lead with 200m to go, to win in 1 minute and 42.05 seconds, breaking Olympic champion and world 800m record holder David Rudisha's meet record of 1:42.91 set in 2011.

Kenya’s Emmanuel Korir set a new personal best and meet record when winning the men’s 800m race at the Müller Anniversary Games at the Olympic Stadium, London on Sunday.

Korir, the winner in Doha and Eugene, took the lead with 200m to go, to win in 1 minute and 42.05 seconds, breaking Olympic champion and world 800m record holder David Rudisha's meet record of 1:42.91 set in 2011.

Korir's time was the sixth fastest in the history of the race.

Korir also erased his previous personal best of 1:43.10 set in Monaco last year besides beating the World Lead time of 1:42.14 set by Nijel Amos of Botswana when winning in Monaco on Friday.

“I am happy because that is a huge performance for me, beating my personal best set last year in Monaco,” said Korir. “I wanted to break that next year but I managed earlier than planned.”

Korir edged out Clayton Murphy from USA to second place in 1:43.12 as compatriot Wycliffe Kinyamal, who won in Shanghai and Rome, came in third in 1:43.12, losing to Murphy in a photo-finish.

Kinyamal’s third place finish also saw him improve his personal best of 1:43.91 when he won in Shanghai with a meet record.

Nijel was a pale shadow of the man who had won in Monaco two days ago, coming in fourth in 1:43.29. “It’s important to beat those guys because they're all really strong,” said Korir, 23.

World and Commonwealth 5,000m champion Hellen Obiri might have finished third in the women’s One Mile race but her time of 4:16.15 was enough to set a new National Record and personal best.

Obiri, fresh from winning women’s 5,000m race in Rabat on July 13 in world lead 14:21.75, lost the battle to World 1,500m silver medallist Sifan Hassan from the Netherlands.

Hassan won the race in a Diamond League, meet and national record time of 4:14.71, relegating Ethiopian Gudaf Tsegay to second place in 4:16.14.