There is a new name sitting at No. 1 in the world rankings for the 800-meter run, and it’s a former Mississippi State track and field athlete.
Marco Arop edged out 2022 World Championship winner Emmanuel Kipkurui Korir of Kenya at the top of the latest World Athletics event rankings.
The Edmonton, Alberta, native took home bronze at worlds last season and holds the second-fastest 800-meter time in the world this season at 1:43.30, run at the Diamond League Paris event.
That time was just four hundredths of a second off his personal best, set in 2021 in Monaco, which also set the all-time Canadian record in the event.
Arop, who competed for Mississippi State in 2018-19, holds the school’s all-time records in both the 800-meter indoor and outdoor events, as well as the 3200-meter relay. He also set the Pan American Games 800-meter outdoor record in 2019 at 1:44.25.
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