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World 800m champion Marco Arop has explained why he feels he has the capabilities to lower David Rudha’s 13-year world record, shedding light on the possible event to do it from.
World champion Marco Arop is backing himself to break David Rudisha’s 800m world record that has stood since 2012.
Arop holds the fourth fastest time of all-time following his 1:41.20, clocked at the Paris 2024 Olympics, when he won silver behind Kenya’s Emmanuel Wanyonyi, who managed 1:41.19.
However, Wanyonyi later improved his mark to 1:41.11 at the Lausanne Diamond League to join Kenyan compatriot Wilson Kipketer as the second fastest of all-time.
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13:33 - 08.01.2025
'That's my biggest rival right now'- Marco Arop challenges Emmanuel Wanyonyi to join battle of supremacy showdown
Marco Arop has challenged Emmanuel Wanyonyi to reignite their 800m rivalry in new showdown.
With five of the seven fastest times set in 2024, Arop believes it is just a matter of time before Rudisha’s world record of 1:40.91 is broken and is not ruling out himself as he admits it is something that has been on his mind for a long time.
“The world record has been something that has been on my mind for years. Even when I was running 1:45, it is something me and coach talked about,” Arop told the Citius Mag podcast.
“I believe that we could eventually get to a point where I could run 1:40 and as we have come close and closer that just became more reality.”
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10:15 - 07.01.2025
'It might come'- Emmanuel Wanyonyi hints at when he plans to attack David Rudisha's world record
Emmanuel Wanyonyi has hinted at when he might be going for the 800m world record.
Arop, who is among athletes signed to Michael Johnson’s Grand Slam Track, set to begin this year, feels it could potentially be the place where the world record tumbles due to the championship nature of the event.
“What I have noticed is that some of my best performances have always been in like championships scenarios [with] no pacers. At the Olympics for example I did not think I was running that fast. I think that is just how things work,” he added.
“You run your best when you are not trying to force it and I think Grand Slam Track provides all that. You will have a championship feeling like no pacers. Who knows? We are going to see some ridiculously fast times.”
Rudisha ran his scorching world record at the 2012 London Olympics in what was termed the best middle-distance race of all-time and since then, no runner had come close until 2024.
The numbers posted by the likes of Wanyonyi and Arop have observers now believing that a new world record is closer to being witnessed.
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