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Emmanuel Wanyonyi

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Emmanuel Wanyonyi
Wanyonyi at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in the 800 metres final
Personal information
NationalityKenyan
Born1 August 2004 (2004-08) (age 20)
Kapretwa, Trans-Nzoia County, Kenya
Height1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)[1]
Sport
CountryKenya
SportAthletics
EventMiddle-distance running
Achievements and titles
Highest world ranking1st (800m, 2023)[2]
Personal best(s)800 m: 1:41.11 (Lausanne 2024)
Road Mile: 3:54.56 (Herzogenaurach 2024)
Medal record
Men's athletics
Representing  Kenya
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2024 Paris 800 m
World Championships
Silver medal – second place 2023 Budapest 800 m
Diamond League
First place 2023 800 m
First place 2024 800 m
World U20 Championships
Gold medal – first place 2021 Nairobi 800 m
World Cross Country Championships
Gold medal – first place 2023 Bathurst Mixed relay

Emmanuel Wanyonyi (born 1 August 2004)[3] is a Kenyan middle-distance runner specializing in the 800 metres, who won the gold medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics in this event. With his personal best of 1:41.11 set at the 2024 Lausanne Diamond League, Wanyonyi and Wilson Kipketer are tied for second place in the all-time 800 meter list, behind only Wanyonyi's compatriot David Rudisha, who holds the world record.[4] Wanyonyi also briefly held the world record in the road mile, with a time of 3:54.56, from April 2024 to September 2024.

Early and personal life

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Wanyonyi is the fifth of twelve children. He has five brothers and six sisters, and is the only member of his family who runs. Due to insufficient funds, he dropped out of primary school at age 10 and worked as a cattle herder to help his family financially.[5]

When Wanyonyi was 18, his father died, forcing his mother to move away with his younger siblings. Wanyonyi continued to run in his free time and was noticed by a teacher who convinced him to return to school. Wanoynyi's running ability caught the attention of Janeth Jepkosgei, who connected him with his current coach, Claudio Berardelli.[5]

Career

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At the age of 18, he placed fourth at the 2022 World Athletics Championships.[6] Wanyonyi won the gold medal at the 2021 World Under-20 Championships, setting a championship record in the process.[7][8]

At the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Wanyonyi finished second to Marco Arop in the 800m, with a time of 1:44.53 while Arop ran 1:44.24.[9]

Wanyonyi broke the world road mile record with a time of 3:54.56 at the adizero Road to Records event in Herzogenaurach, Germany, on April 27, 2024. The previous record of 3:56.13 belonged to American athlete Hobbs Kessler, who finished second to Wanyonyi in a time of 3:56.18.[10] Wanyonyi's record has since been broken by British athlete Elliot Giles, who ran 3:51.3 in September 2024.[11]

In June 2024, Wanyonyi ran 1:41.70 to win the 800 m at the 2024 Athletics Kenya Olympic Trials, making him then the 3rd-fastest performer ever over 800 metres, behind Wilson Kipketer's 1:41.11 and David Rudisha's world record of 1:40.91.[12][13]

On 7 July 2024, at the Meeting de Paris, Wanyonyi came in second place to Djamel Sedjati in the 800 meters, running a personal best of 1:41.58 while Sedjati ran 1:41.56. At the time, this made Wanyonyi and Sedjati the fourth and third fastest 800 meter runners in history, respectively.[14]

At the 2024 Olympic Games, Wanyonyi made it through the heats and semifinals of the 800m. In the final, he won the gold medal in a time of 1:41.19, surpassing Djamel Sedjati to become the third fastest man in history at the distance, behind only fellow Kenyan David Rudisha and Danish athlete Wilson Kipketer.[15] Only one hundredth of a second behind Wanyonyi was the 2023 800m World Champion Marco Arop, who set a new North, Central American, and Caribbean area record.[16]

On 22 August 2024, Wanyonyi lowered his 800 meter personal best by 0.08 seconds to 1:41.11 at the Lausanne Diamond League. This time tied Wilson Kipketer's 1997 personal best, making Wanyonyi and Kipketer tied for second place in the all-time 800 meter list, behind only David Rudisha.[17]

Achievements

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National competitions

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Year Competition Event Time Place Ref
2024 Athletics Kenya Olympic Trials 800 m 1:41.70 1st

International competitions

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Year Competition Event Time Place Ref
2021 World U20 Championships 800 m 1:43.76 CR 1st
2022 World Championships 800 m 1:44.54 4th
2023 World Championships 800 m 1:44.53 2nd
2024 Olympic Games 800 m 1:41.19 1st

Circuit wins

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References

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  1. ^ "WANYONYI Emmanuel | Paris 2024". olympics.com. Retrieved 26 August 2024.
  2. ^ IAAF World Ranking
  3. ^ "Emmanuel WANYONYI | Profile | World Athletics". worldathletics.org. Retrieved 2021-08-22.
  4. ^ "800 Metres - men - senior - all". worldathletics.org. Retrieved 2024-07-20.
  5. ^ a b "Emmanuel Wanyonyi and the race for David Rudisha's legendary 800m world record at the 2024 Diamond League finals". Olympics.com.
  6. ^ "Spotlight on Rising Stars: Adriana Vilagos and Emmanuel Wanyonyi". World Athletics. 2022-11-11. Retrieved 2022-11-11.
  7. ^ "Kenya's Emmanuel Wanyonyi wins Gold in men's 800m finals as compatriot Noah Kibet wins bronze". The Standard. 2021-08-22. Retrieved 2021-08-22.
  8. ^ Joshua, Elvince (2021-08-20). "Emmanuel Wanyonyi: Former herdsman to gold hunter". The Standard. Retrieved 2021-08-22.
  9. ^ "800 Metres Result | World Athletics Championships, Budapest 2023". worldathletics.org. Retrieved 2024-08-10.
  10. ^ "Wanyonyi runs world road mile record in Herzogenaurach".
  11. ^ "1 Mile Road - men - senior - all". worldathletics.org. Retrieved 2024-09-04.
  12. ^ Emmanuel Wanyonyi at World Athletics Edit this at Wikidata
  13. ^ "800 Metres - men - senior - all". worldathletics.org. Retrieved 2024-07-08.
  14. ^ LetsRun.com (2024-07-06). "2024 Paris Diamond League Results - Meeting De Paris Results". LetsRun.com. Retrieved 2024-07-08.
  15. ^ "800 Metres - men - senior - all".
  16. ^ "MEN'S 800M FINAL RESULTS".
  17. ^ "2024 Lausanne Diamond League: Emmanuel Wanyonyi steals the show to become second-fastest 800m runner in history".
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