Emmanuel Wanyonyi made history in Brussels on Friday night, becoming the first athlete to win four Diamond League 800m titles after producing a commanding performance in the 2026 final. The reigning Olympic champion took control from the gun and never surrendered the lead, dictating the pace throughout before crossing the line in a meeting record of 1:41.80.Download our Mozzart Sport App for more newsAlgeria’s Djamel Sedjati finished a distant second in 1:42.71, while compatriot Mohamed Mezaine completed the podium in a personal best of 1:42.87.The victory saw Wanyonyi move clear of fellow Kenyan Emmanuel Korir in the Diamond League record books. The two had gone into the final tied on three 800m titles, but Wanyonyi’s latest triumph gave him the outright record.##NAJAVA_MECA_9936825##It was a fitting way to end a season that had not always started according to plan for the 22-year-old.Wanyonyi had opened his outdoor campaign in unusual fashion, stepping down to the 1500m at the Kip Keino Classic in Nairobi on April 24, where he won in 3:34.11.He then began his Diamond League 800m campaign with successive runner-up finishes in Rabat and Oslo.In Rabat on 31 May, Wanyonyi clocked 1:43.56 to finish behind Britain’s Max Burgin before returning to the podium in Oslo on 10 June, where he ran 1:42.09 for second.Cherotich outduels strong field to claim third consecutive Diamond League titleHis season took a spectacular turn in Monaco in July when he stepped up to the 1000m and shattered a 27-year-old world record.Wanyonyi clocked 2:11.83, lowering the mark set by compatriot Noah Ngeny in 1999 and adding another world record to his growing résumé.He returned to the 800m at the London Diamond League on 18 July but finished fourth in 1:43.31, suffering another setback in his pursuit of a first Diamond League win of the season.The breakthrough finally arrived in Lausanne on 21 August.Two-month wait ends as World Athletics ratifies wanyonyi’s 1,000m recordWanyonyi produced a strong run to win the 800m in 1:42.19, beating Sedjati and Brandon Miller and announcing that his season was beginning to gather momentum at the perfect time.A week later in Zurich, he raised the bar even higher.The Kenyan clocked 1:41.76, delivering a world-leading performance and setting himself up perfectly for the Diamond League final.That momentum carried into Brussels, where he completed the job in emphatic fashion.Omanyala reveals timeline for return to training after ending season earlyWanyonyi’s victory capped a season in which he had demonstrated his versatility, resilience and ability to produce his best performances when the biggest prizes were on the line.Already an Olympic and world champion, he has now added another piece of history to his résumé by becoming the most successful 800m athlete in Diamond League history.
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