Emmanuel Wanyonyi starts the season with cross country event

Reigning Olympic 800m champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi will open the year with a cross-country race in Kenya this weekend. The two-time world silver medalist in the 800m hopes to be ready in September for a title at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.

“I’m not sure about my schedule at the moment because I’m still training, but once my body feels great, I’m sure I’ll be competing in a lot of tournaments. I need to compete in the Diamond League and the main event, the World Championships in Tokyo”, said Emmanuel Wanyonyi.

Emmanuel Wanyonyi is a distinguished middle-distance runner from Kenya, focusing on the 800m. He achieved a gold medal in this event at the Paris 2024 Olympics. Emmanuel Wanyonyi recorded a personal best of 1:41.11 min during the 2024 Lausanne Diamond League, placing him in a tie with Wilson Kipketer for second on the all-time 800m list. Additionally, Emmanuel Wanyonyi briefly set the world record in the road mile with a time of 3:54.56 min, a record he maintained from April 2024 until September 2024.

At the age of 18, he achieved a fourth-place finish at the 2022 World Athletics Championships. Emmanuel Wanyonyi secured the gold medal at the 2021 World Under-20 Championships, establishing a championship record during that event.

During the 2023 World Athletics Championships held in Budapest, Emmanuel Wanyonyi claimed the silver medal in the 800m, completing the race in 1:44.53 min, while Marco Arop finished first with a time of 1:44.24 min.