Emmanuel Wanyonyi had a remarkable debut at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France, as he claimed a gold medal in a race that consisted of elite rivals.
The 20-year-old produced a blazing 800m performance that saw him beat even the pre-race favourite, Canada’s Marco Arop.
His winning time of 1:41.19 made him the third-fastest performer in history, behind only world record-holder David Rudisha and Wilson Kipketer. Rudisha’s winning time of 1:40.90, which also doubles as the Olympic record, was registered during the London Games in 2012 and remains standing.
However, despite failing to shatter Rudisha’s record, Wanyonyi became the youngest-ever winner of the event in Olympic history.
Going into the final, his main rival was Arop, who is the world champion, and they battled to lead the frontline from the time the bell rang. After a tense and tough race, Wanyonyi finally beat his rival, who won silver and registered a North American record of 1:41.20 for silver.
By winning gold, he made a remarkable streak of five consecutive gold medals for Kenya in the men’s 800m, a streak that started in 2008 in Beijing and in London, Rio de Janeiro, and Tokyo, where multiple Kenyan men claimed a medal.
Wanyonyi had shown the potential of winning gold when he qualified from the semifinals with the fastest qualifying time.
How Wanyonyi saw off rivals
He ran for the front within 200m on his way to a 50.3-second opening lap until France’s Gabriel Tual took the lead at 500 metres, as per the records provided by World Athletics.
In the final curve, he took back the lead, and his surge was too fast for his rivals to match, although Arop tried to keep pace in the final straight. The Arop-Wanyonyi battle in the final curve was a reminder of how they fared at the World Championships that were held in Budapest, Hungary. Then, Arop outshone the Kenyan, but at the Olympics, the emerging star from Eats Africa had the last laugh.
“Arop beat me last year because of experience. He came from the back, then he beat me the last 20 metres. So, this time, nobody can beat me times two,” Wanyonyi said with pride after beating the Canadian to win gold.
Arop, after failing to match Wanyonyi stride for stride, praised the Kenyan in his post-match interview.
“In that moment, you just try to focus on your cues, you try to stay technical, you try not to fall apart, and I did everything I could. It’s not the first time we’ve had a finish like that, Wanyonyi and I.
“He’s an incredible athlete. And you know, it’s not going to be the last time we have a race like that. Hopefully, next time we race, it’ll be me on top, but I’ve got to give him credit where credit is due,” Arop said as per World Athletics.
To put into perspective how tough the competition was, this race was the first time in which four men broke 1:42 and seven men broke 1:43.
The 800m attracted the spotlight even before the Olympics began because Sedjati (1:41.46), Wanyonyi (1:41.58), Gabriel Tual (1:41.61), and Mohamed Attaoui (1:42.04) produced four of the nine fastest performances of all time in Monaco.
Post-Olympic glory
Wanyonyi did not have much time to rest as he went straight to participate at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Lausanne on Thursday, August 22, 2024, winning the men’s 800m in 1:41.11.
This winning time made him joint second on the world all-time list. His time was shy of the world record of 1:40.91 set by Rudisha at the 2012 Olympic Games in London.
But Wanyonyi’s time exactly matched the then-world record set by Wilson Kipketer, who switched nationality to Denmark in 1997.
This, however, is a Diamond League record that Wanyonyi managed to set at a time he also faced competition from four of the five men who followed him home in the Paris Games.
The Kenyan had to be tactical as he faced a regular nemesis, Arop, whom he had beaten to gold a few days before the Lausanne meeting. This was rather a tight race given that the pacemaker took the field through 400m in 49.3 with Wanyonyi steps behind him.
In the final lap, Wanyonyi shook off Arop, who timed 1:41.72, with Tual, France’s European champion, clocking 1:42.30.
Given what he has achieved, his age, and his ambition, Wanyonyi remains one of the stars that deserves keen observation, as he may end up breaking Rudisha’s standing record and registering a jaw-dropping one.
With 2025 expected to be busy in the athletic calendar, the disciplines that Wanyonyi will pick to compete in will be a matter of scrutiny given his stature now.
His rivalry with Arop is becoming a tight contest, and next year, eyes will be keen to see who will outshine the other more.
