Paris Olympics: Who is Kenya's gold medalist Emmanuel Wanyonyi?
Kenya's Emmanuel Wanyonyi won the gold medal in the men's 800m at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The Kenyan completed the race in 1:41.19, becoming the third-fastest to this mark. He was 0.2 seconds short of breaking David Rudisha's world record (1:40.91 at the 2012 London Olympics). Canada's Marco Arop and Algeria's Djamel Sedjati won the silver and bronze medals, respectively.
Wanyonyi excelled in a tough final
The men's 800m was billed as one of the toughest ever in Olympic history. Wanyonyi entered as the 2023 world silver medalist, with Arop and Sedjati holding several records. As per the Olympics.com, this was the fifth succssive Olympic final to be won by a Kenyan athlete. Wilfred Bungei (2008), David Rudisha (2012 and 2016), and Emmanuel Korir (2020) are the others.
Who is Wanyonyi?
Wanyonyi was born on August1, 2004, in Saboti in Kenya. He is a track and field athlete who competes in men's 800m. As per the Olympics.com, the Kenyan athlete started with 1,500m and the 3,000m steeplechase in primary school before switching to 800m. In his early days, Wanyonyi was mentored by Janeth Jepkosgei, the 2008 Olympic silver medallist.
What pushed Wanyonyi for Paris Games?
It is worth noting that Wanyonyi came to know about the Olympic Games only in August 2021. He made his international debut at the World Under-20 Championships at that time. Wanyonyi sought inspiration from Emmanuel Korir, the 2020 Tokyo gold medalist.
Notable milestones of Wanyonyi
Wanyonyi won the 2021 World Under-20 Championships on his international debut. He recorded a 1:43.76 run in the men's 800m. The Kenyan athlete clinched the silver medal at the 2023 World Championships (1:44.53). Wanyonyi also won four Diamond League events, including the final. He stunned world champion Marco Arop for the record. He also recorded a world road mile record of 3:54.56 in Germany.
