The 24-year-old runs 1:42.98 to beat Olympic champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi and looks in shape to finally threaten Seb Coe's long-standing British record in coming weeks.

June 10 marks the 45th anniversary of Seb Coe's UK 800m record of 1:41.73. Set in Florence, Italy, in 1981, it is a mark that has stood the test of time and when it comes to British records in Olympic track and field events only Meg Ritchie’s women’s discus mark is older.

The mark genuinely looks in danger of falling this summer, though. Max Burgin finished sixth in the world final in Tokyo last September in a PB of 1:42.29 and on Sunday (May 31) in Rabat, Morocco, he enjoyed a convincing win in the Diamond League ahead of Olympic champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi among others.

Burgin clocked 1:42.98 with Wanyonyi more than half a second adrift in 1:43.56 and then a world-class field including Slimane Moula of Algeria, Gabriel Tual of France and Donavan Brazier of the United States further behind.

"It was great conditions," said Burgin. "I thought I was in good shape going in and no one else was making a decisive move so I went with the pacemaker and stuck with it."

Burgin followed pacemaker Patryk Sieradzki as the Polish athlete passed 400m in 49.78 before going into the lead at the start of the back straight. He then built a lead of several metres on Wanyonyi and the rest of the field but did not buckle as he remained clear in the home straight.

When asked about Burgin in December, Coe suggested the young Briton needed to start winning races first and foremost.

“He’s very talented and you need to win things and with that comes an infectious confidence," Coe told AW. "I’ve seen that with Jake (Wightman) and Josh (Kerr) as well.

“You need to get up on to pole position and sometimes the rest of your career just follows. It’s a psychological breakthrough as much as anything.”

Burgin showed this weekend in Morocco, he has now developed the winning touch at the highest level.

As keen followers of the sport will know, he first showed his talent as a record-breaking teenage runner. Among other things he broke David Sharpe’s long-standing British under-20 record with 1:45.36 in 2019 aged just 17 and improved it to 1:44.75 the following year just after his 18th birthday. He then ran 1:44.14 at the start of 2021 but missed the rest of the season with injury – something that became a theme in subsequent seasons.

At the 2022 World Champs he didn’t make the start line and ended up in a mobility scooter after developing a blood clot in his leg. In 2024, though, he battled through calf issues to make the Olympic final, albeit finishing eighth and last.

Then in 2025 he ran a big PB of 1:42.36 at the Diamond League in London before improving in Tokyo a few weeks later to 1:42.29 when sixth in a high-quality final won by Wanyonyi of Kenya.

Rumours that he had wintered well recently proved correct in Rabat and he can now look forward to a season that includes a European Championships and Commonwealth Games on home soil plus the World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest – all three of which he says he is keen to do.

Audrey Werro impressed in the women's 800m in Rabat with a similarly dominant run. The Swiss athlete clocked 1:56.56 to beat Tsige Duguma of Ethiopia and world champion Lilian Odira of Kenya.

Matt Hudson-Smith also showed fine form as the Brit finished runner-up to Jacory Patterson of the United States in the men's 400m – 44.11 to 44.25.

Tobi Amusan of Nigeria flew to a 12.28 (1.2) meet record in the women's 100m hurdles.

Tina Clayton was also in swift form as she ran 10.85 (0.3) to win the women's 100m as Jamaican team-mates Lavanya Williams and Jonielle Smith ensured a sweep of the first three places.

Kenny Bednarek was in great form, too, as the American clocked a meet record of 19.69 (0.4) to win the men's 200m from Letsile Tebogo of Botswana.

The 1500m victories went to Yared Nuguse of the United States with 3:30.35 as he held off world champion Isaac Nader of Portugal, while Freweyni Hailu of Ethiopia won the women's race in 3:58.25 as Britain's Laura Muir was fifth in 4:00.77.

In the field, Joe Kovacs led a US sweep of the first four places in the men's shot with a world lead and meet record of 22.58m.

Nina Kennedy of Australia won the women's pole vault with 4.80m as Britain's Molly Caudery finished seventh with 4.60m.

It has become tradition for the men's steeplechase to be held at the end of this meet so the crowd can roar on Soufiane El Bakkali. The Moroccan favourite did not disappoint again either as he won in a world lead of 7:57.25, holding off a European record-breaking Frederick Ruppert of Germany with 7:57.80.