Wanyonyi runs championship record to win world 800m title in Tokyo

In what turned out to be a race of record depth, Kenya's Emmanuel Wanyonyi won the men's 800m at the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25 in a championship record of 1:41.86.

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With a gun-to-tape strategy - similar to the one he used last year when winning the Olympic title in Paris, also in a sub-1:42 time - he managed to hold off a fierce challenge from Canada's defending champion Marco Arop and a fast-finishing Djamel Sedjati of Algeria.

In complete contrast to Wednesday's 1500m final, when many podium contenders did not make it through the rounds, all the main favourites were on the start line for the final of the two-lap race.

The winning trio topped this season's world rankings and shared the podium at last year's Olympics, when Arop placed second and Sedjati third. This time, they reversed roles: Sedjati claiming silver in 1:41.90, while Arop took bronze in 1:41.95.

"I didn't take this race for granted," said Wanyonyi after securing Kenya's eighth world title in the men's 800m. "I wanted to do everything to secure the gold.