Great Britain’s Max Burgin ran a season’s-best time to win the 800m at a Diamond League meeting in Morocco.
Burgin, 24, crossed the line in a time of one minute and 42.98 seconds as he beat off a competitive field at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat.
After a strong start to the race, he held off a late pursuit by Olympic champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi (1:43.56) to to clinch his first Diamond League victory.
Algeria’s Slimane Moula completed the podium as he finished in third place while Ireland’s Mark English was 11th in 1:45.
“I expected a race like this where someone would push me to my maximum,” Wanyonyi said.
“I have done my best and 1.43 is not a bad time for me. My focus this season will be on the 800m, not the 1500m”
Elsewhere, GB’s Matthew Hudson-Smith finished second in the 400m with a time of 44.25 seconds, just behind Jacory Patterson of the United States.
“It’s good to be back, I have had a lot of niggles but it is a great opener. Now I need to build on that for the rest of the season,” Hudson-Smith said.
GB’s Molly Caudrey finished seventh in the pole vault with a jump of 4.60m – 20cm behind winner Nina Kennedy of Australia.
