Marco Arop of Edmonton, Alberta won his first Diamond League medal of the season on Saturday. He placed first in a Diamond League men’s 800 metre event in Xiamen, China. For Arop, it was his 14th career Diamond League medal and third career Diamond League gold medal. He has now won three gold medals, six silver medals and five bronze medals.
Arop posted a winning time of 1:43.61. Two-time Commonwealth Games gold medalist Wyclife Kinyamal of Kenya won the silver medal with a time of 1:43.66. Tshepiso Masalela of Botswana won the bronze medal with a time of 1:43.88. Arop reached the podium by 1.27 seconds over Alex Ngeno Kipngetich of Kenya, who had a fourth place time of 1:44.76.
This was the first Diamond League event of the season. Arop previously finished first in the men’s 800 metres in a Diamond League event in Lausanne, Switzerland on August 26, 2021 and in Birmingham, England on May 21, 2022. Arop is also the reigning World Champion in the distance as he placed first in Budapest, Hungary on August 26, 2023.
Arop’s personal best in the men’s 800 metres is 1:42.85. He accomplished the feat at the 2023 Diamond League Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon, when he placed second behind Emmanuel Wanyonyi of Kenya. The gold medal in Xiamen will give Arop confidence as he prepares for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
