Emmanuel Korir breaks African Indoor record

Kenya’s Emmanuel Korir made a strong return, clocking 1 minute and 44.21 seconds on his way to smashing the African Indoor record with victory in the 800m at the NYRR Millrose Games in New York on Saturday.

Korir, who fell in the semi-finals during the London World Championships last year despite being tipped as favourite, erased the previous African record of 1:44.52 set by Ethiopian Mohammed Aman at Aviva Indoor Grand Prix on February 15, 2014, Birmingham, United Kingdom.

Korir also broke the National record of 1:44.71 held by Joseph Mwengi Mutua set on January 31, 2004 during the Sparkassen Cup in Stuttgart, Germany.

Korir’s time was also the third fastest run of all time in an event, where Kenyan-born Wilson Kipketer of Denmark holds the World record time of 1:42.67, set during the World Indoor Championships on March 9, 1997 in Paris, France.

Shadowing USA's Donavan Brazier for much of the race, Korir broke away in the waning stages to become the third fastest ever man over the distance indoors.

Brazier was second in 1:45.35 and Drew Windle third in 1:45.53 to move up to second and third on the North American indoor all-time list.

Korir was the favourite heading to the London World Championships by virtue of having ran a world lead of 1:43.10 with victory in Monaco in July.

However, the biggest shocker came in the second semi-finals, when he failed to make to the final after his legs crumbled in the last 80 metres to settle fourth.

“I just felt pain at my lower back and I just couldn’t move further,” said Korir after the race in London. “I had never experienced that before.”

Another highlight during the 111th edition of the Games NYRR Millrose Game was the USA quartet that broke broke the world indoor record in the women's 4x800m.

Chrishuna Williams, Raevyn Rogers, Charlene Lipsey and World 800m bronze medallist Ajee’ Wilson teamed to clock 8:05.89, eclipsing the 8:06.24 performance set by a Russian squad in 2011.

Williams opened the team’s account with a 2:05.10 effort, before Rogers put them back on record schedule with a 2:00.45 split. Lipsey maintained their pace with a 2:01.98 third-leg clocking and Wilson ran a 1:58.37 anchor leg.

Wilson, credited the sell-out crowd of 5,500 at The Armory Track and Field Center for helping to push her over the final lap.

“That is the loudest I’ve ever heard it,” said Wilson. “That’s the loudest I’ve ever felt it. That was insane. Every lap was high energy. The crowd definitely pushed me across on that last lap.”

Olympic 400m champion Shaunae Miller-Uibo made her 2018 debut an auspicious one, equalling the 35.45 world indoor best in the rarely-run 300m. Irina Privalova has held the standard since 1993.

Canada's Sage Watson was a distant second in a national record of 37.08.