Former world record holder for the indoor 600m race, Michael Saruni finished last at the 4th edition of the Irena Szewińska Memorial which is a World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting held on Saturday (03) in Bydgoszcz, Poland.
Saruni who holds the African indoor record with a time of 1:43.98, which places him as the fastest indoor 800m ever achieved in the USA, was beaten by the reigning European 400m Indoor silver medallist Tony Van Diepen from the Netherlands.
The 2018 European silver medallist Andreas Kramer made a move with 300m to go, but he was caught by Van Diepen, who took the edge in the final 50m to cross the line in a new personal best of 1:44.31 with South Africa’s Tshepo Tshite coming home in second place also in a personal best of 1:44.59. Kramer was forced to finish in third with a season best of 1:44.59.
Algeria’s Mohamed Ali Gouaned who broke Wilfred Bungei’s Junior World best in 600m of 1:14.94 with a new record of 1:14.79 finished in fourth place with a time of 1:44.67 with the reigning European Indoor silver medallist Mateusz Borkowski from Poland crossing the line in fifth in with a personal best of 1:44.79.
Kenya’s Cornelius Tuwei and Saruni who was the fastest athlete on paper finished in a disappointing seventh and eleventh place in a time of 1:45.16 and 1:46.71 respectively.
LEADING RESULTS
800M MEN
- Tony Van Diepen (NED) 1:44.31
- Tshepo Tshite (RSA) 1:44.59
- Andreas Kramer (SWE) 1:44.59
- Mohamed Ali Gouaned (ALG) 1:44.67
- Mateusz Borkowski (POL) 1:44.79
Facebook Comments