UTEP’s Emmanuel Korir wins NCAA championship in 800-meter run

UTEP freshman Emmanuel Korir won gold in the 800m at the 2017 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in a wild race.

Korir found himself trailing UTEP teammate Michael Saruni with about 200 meters to go in the race.

The UTEP duo appeared poised to take the top two spots in the 800m final, but Saruni fell down and Korir had to avoid him to take the lead.

The race result was initially placed under review due to Saruni’s fall. He was not able to recover and finished in last place.

But Saruni’s mishap opened the door for Korir to take the lead. He was able to hang on for victory to claim the national title for the Miners.

Korir finished with a time of 1:45:03 to take the top spot.

The freshman sensation from Kenya did not lose an 800m race the entire season. He also won the national title in the 800 during the indoor season.