Cooper Lutkenhaus Upsets Emmanuel Wanyonyi in 1:42.08 Oslo 800m Thriller
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Jun 10
Cooper Lutkenhaus Upsets Emmanuel Wanyonyi in 1:42.08 Oslo 800m Thriller
3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Jun 10
Summary
Seventeen-year-old Cooper Lutkenhaus beat Olympic 800m champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi by 0.01 seconds in Oslo, diving at the line to clock a world-leading 1:42.08 at Bislett Stadion.
49.81 seconds through halfway, the race quickly became a duel as Wanyonyi chased the pacemaker and Lutkenhaus surged clear with 200m left before holding off the Kenyan's late rally.
Wanyonyi said the American was "in good shape" despite noting he is building toward later-season peaks after the birth of his first child last week; Lutkenhaus still declined to call himself world No. 1.
Elsewhere in the Diamond League meet, 18-year-old Australian sprinter Gout Gout finished sixth in his senior debut 200m in 20.60, while Olympic champion Letsile Tebogo warned him not to rush into senior racing.
The Oslo meeting also saw Britain's Amy Hunt place second in the 100m behind Julien Alfred's 10.76, but Lutkenhaus's breakthrough win became the night's defining result.