It was a night to remember for Kenya’s track stars as the nation’s athletics pedigree shone brightly at the Zurich Diamond League on Thursday, the penultimate stop of the 2026 Wanda Diamond League circuit.
Olympic and world 800m champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi reminded the athletics world why he remains a force in the middle distance ranks, unleashing a ruthless masterclass to storm to a world-leading 1:41.76.
The Kenyan had to dig deep to hold off relentless pressure from Algeria’s Djamel Sedjati, who crossed the line second in 1:41.83, while compatriot Slimane Moula completed the podium in 1:43.52.
Fellow Kenyan Wyclife Kinyamal also impressed, finishing sixth in a season-best 1:44.25.
Wanyonyi was thrilled with both his performance and the favourable conditions, crediting the cool Zurich evening for helping him produce the blistering time.
“The time was amazing, the race was good and the weather conditions were good too.”
He added that he felt his body responding perfectly as the race unfolded.
“During the race I felt that my body was responding to run fast.
“So I just pushed myself to try to run fast and to run my own race.”
Meanwhile, Kenya celebrated a memorable 1-2 finish in the women’s 3,000m steeplechase as world champion Faith Cherotich surged to victory in 8:55.82, with Doris Lemngole breathing down her neck in a personal best 8:55.94.
Uganda’s Olympic champion Peruth Chemutai completed the podium after clocking 8:58.28.
In the men’s 1,500m, rising middle-distance sensation Phanuel Koech produced another polished display, battling to second place in 3:31.84, just 0.13 seconds behind Olympic champion Cole Hocker of the United States, who won in 3:31.71.
American Yared Nuguse finished third in 3:31.85, while former world champion Timothy Cheruiyot settled for 11th in 3:33.01.
In the men’s javelin throw, 2015 world champion Julius Yego narrowly missed out on a podium finish, placing fifth with a best throw of 81.66m.
Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Pathirage claimed victory with a towering 92.07m, ahead of Grenada’s Anderson Peters (86.93m) and Poland’s Dawid Wegner (85.16m).
Attention now shifts to the Diamond League Finals in Brussels, Belgium, on September 4–5, where Kenya’s stars will be chasing silverware to cap a remarkable campaign.
