• Kirwa is particularly optimistic about Olympic champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi’s chances of breaking the record.
• The tactician also highlighted the rivalry between Wanyonyi and Arop, which he believes will fuel Wanyonyi’s pursuit of the record.
Image: XINHUA
National athletics coach Julius Kirwa believes the men’s 12-year standing 800m world record is set to fall at the Brussels Diamond League on September 13.
The current mark is 1:40.91 set by David Rudisha during his historic run at the 2012 London Olympics.
However, Kirwa believes the record is surviving on borrowed time due to the fierce competition in the 800m event.
“The 800m is getting more competitive as we have seen since the Olympics. Brussels could be the stage that the record falls,” Kirwa stated.
Kirwa is particularly optimistic about Olympic champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi’s chances of breaking the record.
“Wanyonyi is capable of breaking the record. We witnessed him recently come within reach of the record. He missed it by mere seconds. That shows you the resolve he has to break the record,” Kirwa emphasised.
“I have seen him in training and also at the Olympics. He is a disciplined and hard-working athlete. These are key attributes of a world beater,” he added.
Wanyonyi currently holds the joint second-fastest time in the 800m, matching Denmark’s Wilson Kipketer, with a 1:41.11 finish at the Lausanne Diamond League.
Before that, Wanyonyi had set a world-leading time of 1:41.70 at the Olympic trials in June before it was eventually beaten by Algeria’s Djamel Sedjati who clocked 1:41.46 at the Stockholm Diamond League.
The tactician also highlighted the rivalry between Wanyonyi and Marco Arop, which he believes will fuel Wanyonyi’s pursuit of the record.
“The competitiveness between the two athletes will push Wanyonyi to break the record. He has studied Arop in the races they have competed in and I believe he will have the upper hand,” he added.
In August last year, Arop claimed the world title in Budapest, Hungary, narrowly beating Wanyonyi with a 1:44.24 finish to Wanyonyi’s 1:44.53.
However, Wanyonyi got his revenge during the Xiamen and Prefontaine Diamond Leagues later in September 2023, outpacing Arop.
In Xiamen, Wanyonyi finished first in 1:43.20 with Arop trailing in 1:43.24. In Eugene, Wanyonyi finished first in 1:42.80 to Arop’s 1:42.85.
At the Paris Olympics, Wanyonyi bested Arop beating him to the crown in 1:41.19 ahead of Arop who clocked 1:41.20.
However, during the Silesia Diamond League last weekend, Arop beat Wanyonyi to the finish with a meet-record time of 1:41.86 with Wanyonyi clocking 1:43.23.
Kirwa emphasised the importance of keeping the 800m record in Kenya.
“We want this record to stay in Kenya. We’ve been a dominant force in the 800m over the years. A Kenyan breaking the record will reaffirm our middle-distance supremacy,” Kirwa concluded.