Here is all you need to know about Emmanuel Wanyonyi, the Kenyan runner along with his age, career, biography and more
At Saturday’s Kenyan Olympic trials, 19-year-old Emmanuel Wanyonyi won the men’s 800-meter final, leading the world and setting a new personal record of 1:41.
This was the third fastest time ever recorded in the world following fellow Kenyans Wilson Kipketer and David Rudisha. Emmanuel, who is the 2023 global silver medallist in athletics, bagged the Olympic trials, which has now confirmed his seat in the Paris Olympics.
Who is Kenyan runner Emmanuel Wanyonyi, biography, age, parents, tribe, 800m record and net worth
Wanyonyi was on the verge of getting knocked out from the semifinals on Friday after stumbling and falling while finishing sixth.
However, he fought with a swollen leg, and on Saturday he recovered to guarantee his berth on the Olympic squad which should be appreciated and nothing else, following his dedication.
Who is Emmanuel Wanyonyi?
Emmanuel Wanyonyi is a Kenyan athlete. He is a middle-distance runner and a 19-year-old who was born on August 1, 2004, in Tran Nzoia County specialising in 800 metres.
Wanyonyi is a Luhya, who are believed to have the characteristics and muscle power to sprint.
His life changed in 2018 when his father died and Wanyonyi’s mother left with his younger siblings, while he was sent to live with an aunt.
Wanyonyi took home $10,000, which is 1,300,000 Kenyan Shillings ($1=131 KES) for winning the Morocco Diamond League.
Last year, he took home $40, 000 for winning the Diamond League final at the Prefontaine Classic. His net worth isn’t known though.
From an almost hopeless situation of being a paid herder who lived from hand to mouth, Wanyonyi saw some runners out on training while he was herding cattle and decided to pick it up.
At school, Wanyonyi finally got to represent his primary school in track events ranging from 5,000m down to 400m and proceeded to the regional level where he ran in the 1500m, 3,000m steeplechase, and the 4x400m relays and made it to the nationals where he got to meet the principal of Kosirai High School who invited him to report at the school for his secondary education in 2020.
Despite growing up surrounded by property, he didn’t let the lack of resources halt his dedication and passion. He has 10 siblings and his parents struggled to give all of them the required education.
After being forced to leave school at the age of ten, young Wanyonyi went to work as a herd boy in the isolated areas of Saboti, where many boys work as young as six years old. He would work to take care of his family and go running in his free time.
The hardship in his family inspired and compelled him to train harder and here he is now. His father passed away in 2018 making their life harder but Emmanuel didn’t give up.
He concluded fourth in the 2022 World Athletics Championships when he was 18. Additionally, his gold medal win at the 2021 World Under-20 Championships set a championship record.
On April 27, 2024, he broke the world road mile record in Herzogenaurach, Germany, at the Adizero Road to Records event with a time of 3:54.56.
Some of the major records in the Diamond League are 2022 (800 m): Rabat Diamond League, 2023 (800 m): Rabat Diamond League, Paris Diamond League, Xiamen Diamond League.