American 17-year-old Cooper Lutkenhaus produced a stunning performance at the Bislett Stadion in Oslo, beating Olympic 800m champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi in a dramatic finish. Lutkenhaus, the world indoor champion, clocked a world-leading time of 1 minute 42.08 seconds, winning by just 0.01 seconds after a dive at the line.
The race saw Lutkenhaus take the lead with 200 metres to go, opening a five-metre gap before Wanyonyi rallied. The Kenyan, who became a father last week, acknowledged the teenager's achievement. 'This boy is in good shape,' said Wanyonyi. 'Can you believe that as an Olympic champion, you are trying to knock down a 17-year-old boy?'
Lutkenhaus, however, remained humble. 'I don't think so,' he replied when asked if the win made him the world number one. 'Wanyonyi's the Olympic champ. Just because you beat someone one time, I don't think that means you're better than them.'
In contrast, Australian 18-year-old Gout Gout struggled on his senior Diamond League debut, finishing sixth in the 200m in 20.60 seconds. Olympic champion Letsile Tebogo, who won the race, offered advice, warning Gout to avoid rushing into senior competition. 'He should by all means play with his age mates where he is a bit more comfortable,' Tebogo said.
Gout, however, remained positive. 'I love competing against the big boys and I'll be back for sure – I put no limits on myself,' he said. The best British performance came from Amy Hunt, who ran under 11 seconds again to finish second in the 100m behind Olympic champion Julien Alfred.
