Mind games or what? Wanyonyi pays glowing tribute to his 800m rival Arop
Canada's Marco Arop (right) and Kenya's Emmanuel Wanyonyi celebrate after the men's 800m final during the World Athletics Championships at the National Athletics Centre in Budapest on August 26, 2023.
Marco Arop beat Emmanuel Wanyonyi in the final of men’s 800m race at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest.
Wanyonyi returned favour, beating the Canadian in the final of the two-lap race final at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
Olympics 800 metres champion, Emmanuel Wanyonyi of Kenya, has paid glowing tribute to his rival Marco Arop of Canada, describing the reigning world champion over the distance as “a friend and a runner who is more experienced and better than me.”
Wanyonyi has had a healthy rivalry with the more senior Arop on track, and their paths will cross again today (Tuesday) when they lead their teams to the heats of men’s 800m at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo from 1:30pm (Kenyan time).
