Marco Arop extends streak with 800m victory at Xiamen Diamond League season opener

Marco Arop saw an immediate payoff after cutting short his indoor track season to transition to hill work and increase his mileage ahead of the outdoor campaign.

While the Edmonton middle-distance runner didn't set his third Canadian record in as many races in 2024, Arop did extend his individual win streak to four on Saturday, leading the men's 800 metres from start to finish season and posting a world-leading time of one minute 43.61 seconds at the Diamond League season opener in Xiamen, China.

But not long after Arop's achievement, Emmanuel Wanyonyi of Kenya grabbed the world lead, winning in 1:43.57 at the Kip Keino Classic World Continental Tour Gold meet in Nairobi.

Wyclife Kinyamal of Kenya made a valiant attempt to pass Arop, cutting the Canadian's lead with 200 metres to go and further closing the gap down the final stretch but was edged at the finish, stopping the clock in 1:43.66. Tshepiso Masalela of Botswana was third in 1:43.88.

His teammate, Kethobogile Haingura, held the previous world lead of 1:43.94 while Wanyonyi maintained the meet record of 1:43.20 from last Sept. 2.

WATCH | Arop grabs early lead on way to season-opening 800m victory in China:

Arop, 25, ran to a pair of Canadian marks in the span of a week to open his indoor season in the 800 and 1,000, finishing 54-100ths of a second shy of the world record in the latter event on Feb. 4 in Boston.

"The one thing that stood out in both [races] was how comfortable I felt from the start to finish," he told CBC Sports in February from Starkville, Miss., where he lives and trains.

"I want a couple of months of solid training before opening outdoors. I wasn't planning on chasing any times or records indoors. The main goal remains the Olympic Games and