Emmanuel Wanyonyi
Personal information | |
---|---|
Nationality | Kenyan |
Born | 1 August 2004 Kapretwa, Trans-Nzoia County, Kenya | (age 20)
Height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)[1] |
Sport | |
Country | Kenya |
Sport | Athletics |
Event | Middle-distance running |
Achievements and titles | |
Highest world ranking | 1st (800m, 2023)[2] |
Personal best(s) | 800 m: 1:41.11 (Lausanne 2024) Road Mile: 3:54.56 (Herzogenaurach 2024) |
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.
Career
[edit]At the age of 18, he placed fourth at the 2022 World Athletics Championships.[5] Wanyonyi won the gold medal at the 2021 World Under-20 Championships, setting a championship record in the process.[6][7]
At the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Wanyonyi finished 2nd to Marco Arop in the 800m, with a time of 1:44.53 while Arop ran 1:44.24.[8]
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.[9] Wanyonyi's record has since been broken by British athlete Elliot Giles, who ran 3:51.3 in September 2024.[10]
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.[11][12]
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.[13]
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.[14] 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.[15]
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.[16]
Achievements
[edit]Circuit wins
[edit]- Diamond League
- 2022 (800 m): Rabat Diamond League
- 2023 (800 m): Rabat Diamond League, Paris Diamond League, Xiamen Diamond League
Track records
[edit]As of 28 September 2024, Wanyonyi holds the following track records for 800 metres.
Location | Time | Date |
---|---|---|
Budapest | 1:43.83 | 24/08/2023 |
Lausanne | 1:41.11 PB |
22/08/2024 |
Marrakesh | 1:43.84 | 19/05/2024 |
Nairobi | 1:41.70 | 15/06/2024 |
Saint-Denis, Paris | 1:41.19 | 10/08/2024 |
Xiamen | 1:43.20 | 02/09/2023 |
References
[edit]- ^ "WANYONYI Emmanuel | Paris 2024". olympics.com. Retrieved 26 August 2024.
- ^ IAAF World Ranking
- ^ "Emmanuel WANYONYI | Profile | World Athletics". worldathletics.org. Retrieved 2021-08-22.
- ^ "800 Metres - men - senior - all". worldathletics.org. Retrieved 2024-07-20.
- ^ "Spotlight on Rising Stars: Adriana Vilagos and Emmanuel Wanyonyi". World Athletics. 2022-11-11. Retrieved 2022-11-11.
- ^ "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.
- ^ Joshua, Elvince (2021-08-20). "Emmanuel Wanyonyi: Former herdsman to gold hunter". The Standard. Retrieved 2021-08-22.
- ^ "800 Metres Result | World Athletics Championships, Budapest 2023". worldathletics.org. Retrieved 2024-08-10.
- ^ "Wanyonyi runs world road mile record in Herzogenaurach".
- ^ "1 Mile Road - men - senior - all". worldathletics.org. Retrieved 2024-09-04.
- ^ Emmanuel Wanyonyi at World Athletics
- ^ "800 Metres - men - senior - all". worldathletics.org. Retrieved 2024-07-08.
- ^ LetsRun.com (2024-07-06). "2024 Paris Diamond League Results - Meeting De Paris Results". LetsRun.com. Retrieved 2024-07-08.
- ^ "800 Metres - men - senior - all".
- ^ "MEN'S 800M FINAL RESULTS".
- ^ "2024 Lausanne Diamond League: Emmanuel Wanyonyi steals the show to become second-fastest 800m runner in history".
External links
[edit]- 2004 births
- Living people
- Kenyan male middle-distance runners
- World Athletics U20 Championships winners
- World Athletics Championships medalists
- Diamond League winners
- Olympic athletes for Kenya
- Athletes (track and field) at the 2024 Summer Olympics
- Olympic gold medalists for Kenya
- Medalists at the 2024 Summer Olympics
- Olympic gold medalists in athletics (track and field)