World champion Arop runs 800m Canadian record for 2nd at Diamond League Final

World championship gold. A Canadian title. And on Sunday, a national record.

Edmonton's Marco Arop lowered his personal best over 800 metres to one minute 42.85 seconds, breaking Brandon McBride's 1:43:20 national mark from 2018 in a second-place finish at the Prefontaine Classic Diamond League Final in Eugene, Ore.

Arop took charge early, moving to the front of the pack behind pacer and training partner Navasky Anderson. He held the lead until halfway down the straightaway at Hayward Field when Emmanuel Wanyonyi of Kenya passed him to reach the finish in a meet record and world-leading time of 1:42.80.

Nijel Amos of Botswana held the previous mark of 1:43.63 since May 31, 2014.

Arop, 24, ran a 1:43.24 PB to a second-place finish on Sept 2 at a Diamond League meet in Xiamen, China, trailing only world No. 1 Wanyonyi, who clocked 1:43.20 for a then-PB and world lead.

But Arop, who is ranked second in the world, did get the best of his rival last month at the World Athletics Championships, clocking 1:44.24 to edge Wanyonyi (1:44.53).

WATCH | Arop adds Canadian mark to world and national titles:

Last September, the Canadian was fresh off earning world bronze in Eugene when he made a move with one lap to go at the Diamond League Final in Zurich. He led into the final straight but was caught by Emmanuel Korir of Kenya fewer than 10 metres from the finish line, placing second to the reigning Olympic champion in a season-best 1:43.38. He was fourth in 2021, clocking 1:45.23.

Since his freshman year at Mississippi State University, Arop has had to work on his final 100 metres, trying to figure out his last kick or push.

"In so many races, I'll be feeling great the last 200, 150, 100 [metres] and the last 50 I start to break