Emmanuel Wanyonyi To Face Marco Arop in Familiar Territory

Olympic and world champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi will race over 800m at the Oslo Diamond League in the Norwegian capital on June 10. 

Wanyonyi has fond memories of racing in Oslo, having won last year’s edition, where he recorded an astonishing time of 1:42.77. 

Wanyonyi is set to face his most persistent rivals in Tokyo World Championships medallists Marco Arop of Canada and Djamel Sedjati of Algeria..

A Legacy of Global Dominance

Wanyonyi  is the reigning Olympic champion from the Paris 2024 Games and a two-time Diamond League Final winner, having claimed titles in 2022 and 2023.

Memories of their clash at the World Championships in Tokyo remain vivid. In that race, Wanyonyi surged to a commanding 1:41.86 finish to clinch his maiden world title. He showed incredible composure to power past Sedjati, who took silver in 1:41.90, and Arop, who secured bronze in 1:41.95. 

Wanyonyi’s 2025 campaign further cemented this status; after a victory in Oslo, he triumphed in Stockholm and then delivered the performance of the year in Monaco, blazing to a world-leading 1:41.44.

Ambitions for the 2026 Season

Entering the 2026 season, the Kenyan ace has already signaled his intent to lower his personal bests. He opened his year by stepping up in distance at the Kip Keino Classic, where he secured a 1,500m victory in 3:34.11. 

The Oslo Diamond League will serve as the first major litmus test for these ambitions. Wanyonyi has competitive races under his belt, Arop and Sedjati are yet to open their 2026 campaigns, making them dangerous wildcards in the Norwegian capital. The field features Spain’s Mohamed Attaoui, who is fresh from claiming bronze at the World Indoor Championships in Poland. 

On June 10, the “familiar territory” of Oslo will provide the perfect stage for Wanyonyi to defend the crown he captured last year. If he can replicate the form that saw him slice through the field at the 2025 Diamond League Final, the athletics world may be treated to one of the fastest times ever recorded on European soil.