Max Burgin excels in Rabat with 1:43.34 PB for 800m

British middle-distance runner is runner-up to Tshepiso Masalela in season opener at the Diamond League as Beatrice Chebet runs brilliant 8:11.56 for 3000m

Max Burgin showed his rich ability by reaching the Olympic 800m final in Paris last year. Despite being bedevilled with lower leg issues, he ran a 1:43.50 PB in the semi-final before placing eighth in the final as Emmanuel Wanyonyi took gold in 1:41.19.

The 23-year-old Halifax Harrier has clearly wintered well, though, as he improved his PB to 1:43.34 at the Diamond League in Rabat on Sunday (May 24), beating Wanyonyi in the process.

The only problem was that Tshepiso Masalela of Botswana finished several metres ahead in a 1:42.70 world lead.

Still, it was a great run by the Briton in his opening race of 2025 as he cemented his position as No.5 on the UK all-time rankings. In this form, could he threaten Seb Coe’s long-time British record of 1:41.73 in coming weeks?

Employing his usual bold tactics, Burgin followed the pacemaker through the bell in 49.99 and then settled down the back straight before holding off all bar Masalela in the final 150m.

Beatrice Chebet, the Olympic 5000m and 10,000m champion, started her summer with a bang, too, with an 8:11.56 for 3000m – a Kenyan record and the second quickest time in history behind Wang Junxia’s long-standing world record of 8:06.11 from 1993.

Behind, Nadia Battocletti ran an Italian record of 8:26.27 with Sarah Healy of Ireland a close third in 8:27.02.

Chebet’s followed Winnie Nanyondo through the first kilometre in 2:44.47 and continued rattling out 65-66-second laps before closing with a penultimate 400m in 65.71 and final 400m of 61.96.

Femke Bol of the Netherlands also started her summer outdoor season in style with a 400m hurdles meet record of 52.46.

Elsewhere, Shericka Jackson of Jamaica won the women’s 100m in 11.04 (0.2) as Akani Simbine of South Africa took the men’s 100m in 9.95 ahead of Ferdinand Omanyala of Kenya and Fred Kerley of the United States.

Payton Otterdahl of the United States won a terrific men’s shot with 21.97m. Coming from behind to pass Rajindra Campbell of Jamaica’s 21.95m by two centimetres, Otterdahl continued his fine 2025 form.

In third, Joe Kovacs of the United States threw 21.52m.

Tobi Amusan of Nigeria won the 100m hurdles in a meet record of 12.45 (1.2).