Kenya’s Emmanuel Wanyonyi survived a furious attack by Canada’s Marco Arop to win Olympic gold in the 800m.

On Saturday night, Wanyonyi won gold with a time of 1:41.19 minutes. Arop won the silver with a time of 1:41.20 minutes. The bronze medal went to the Algerian Djamel Sedjati. His time was 1:41.20 minutes.

The winning time is the third fastest in history. Meanwhile, Tamirat Tola, called into the Ethiopian team as a late replacement, won the men’s marathon title in an Olympic record of 2:06:26 in brutal heat and humidity over a course of hugely demanding hills, with Belgium’s Bashir Abdi earning silver in 2:06:47.

Kenya’s Benson Kipruto, fastest in the world this year after winning the Tokyo marathon in 2:02:16, marked his Olympic debut with bronze in 2:07:00 on a day when his 39-year-old compatriot Eliud Kipchoge, seeking a third consecutive title, failed to finish.

Britain’s Emile Cairess, making his Olympic debut, finished in fourth place, clocking 2:07:29 after moving past Ethiopia’s Deresa Geleta in the finishing stages, with the latter recording 2:07:31 and finishing a second ahead of Japan’s Akira Akasaki, who set a personal best.