# Emmanuel Wanyonyi

Emmanuel Wanyonyi (born 1 August 2004) 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. 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

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.
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.

## Career

At the age of 18, he placed fourth at the 2022 World Athletics Championships. Wanyonyi won the gold medal at the 2021 World Under-20 Championships, setting a championship record in the process.
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.
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. Wanyonyi's record has since been broken by British athlete Elliot Giles, who ran 3:51.3 in September 2024.
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.
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.
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. 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.
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.

## Achievements
### National competitions

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

### International competitions

| Year | Competition | Event | Time | Place |
| 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

* Diamond League
** 2022 (800 m): Rabat Diamond League
** 2023 (800 m): Rabat Diamond League, Paris Diamond League, Xiamen Diamond League
** 2024 (800 m): Marrakech Diamond League, Lausanne Diamond League, Brussels Diamond League Final