Emmanuel Wanyonyi of Kenya competes in the men's 800m Round 1 race during the Olympic Games at the Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France on August 07, 2024.
Five days after Kenyan athletics stars Beatrice Chebet and Faith Kipyegon set world records over 5,000 metres and 1,500m respectively, the world will be treated to a thrilling spectacle in athletics on Friday when Olympics 800 metres champion, Emmanuel Wanyonyi of Kenya launches what promises to be his own push for a world record.
Like most athletes of his calibre, Wanyonyi shied away from directly declaring that he will attempt the world record, but the 20-year-old who also claimed silver medal at the 2023 World Athletics Championships gave all indications that he could attempt the world record in Monaco on Friday night, what with a world leading time of 1 minute, 41.95 seconds he posted at Stockholm Diamond League on June 15 this year.
From 7.55pm, the Olympics 800m champion will come up against world champion Marco Arop from Canada, and Diamond League series leader Tshepiso Mashalela from Botswana in what is easily the toughest field ever assembled this year, putting David Rudisha’s 12-year-old world record of one minute and 40.91 seconds at risk.
As far as the two-lap race is concerned, Friday night's meeting at the Stade Louis II Stadium in Fontvieille, Monaco, has been dubbed “first instalment of 2025 World Athletics Championships”.
Also in the mix is Commonwealth Games 800m champion Wycliffe Kinyamal from Kenya, and home hero and European 800m champion Gabriel Tual.
Wanyonyi might not have said it directly, but he gave all indications that he could attempt the world record in Monaco tonight after blitzing to a world leading time of 1:41.95 at Stockholm Diamond League on June 15.
In fact, Wanyonyi, who has personal best of 1:41.11, downplayed Masalela’s rise, saying that only Arop (1:41.20), Algerian Djamel Sedjati (1:41.46) and Tual (1:41.61) pose a threat to him this season. Sedjati, whom Wanyonyi (1:42.27) relegated to second place in Stockholm, holds the meet record and personal best of 1:41.61 from Monaco last year. That performance makes the Algerian the fifth fastest man ever in the two-lap race.
But Masalela beat Wanyonyi in Rabat Diamond League on May 25, winning in a world leading time of 1:42.70 as Wanyonyi came third in 1:43.37 behind Briton Max Burgin (1:43.34). Though in great shape, Wanyonyi said that Masalela, 26, is still learning the ropes and its too early in the season to make predictions, and the world championships is months away.
Kenya's Emmanuel Wanyonyi competes in the men's 800m semi-final during the World Athletics Championships at the National Athletics Centre in Budapest on August 24, 2023.
Wanyonyi bounced back from that defeat in Rabat to win Oslo’s tactical race in 1:42.78 ahead of Mohamed Attaoui from Spain (1:42.90), and Sedjati (1:43.96) respectively.
Wanyonyi’s coach Claudio Baradelli reckons that although the athlete has been working hard to get better, stronger and smarter, he is not targeting any specific time.
“He won’t be after a fast pace but the race could be fast, given the quality field assembled,” Baradelli said, adding that before June 14-15 Stockholm Diamond League, Wanyonyi trained hard.
“Wanyonyi is coming from heavy training and I look forward to seeing how his body responds tomorrow (Friday). He keeps saying he is hunting for personal best. That is a smart way to wade off pressure. That is what one would say when talking about targeting career best times,” he said.
Wanyonyi’s performance last year left no doubt that he is the potential heir to Rudisha’s world record. Wanyonyi broke the world road mile record with a time of 3:54.56 at the Adizero Road to Records event in Herzogenaurach, Germany, in April last year, erasing the previous record of 3:56.13 by American Hobbs Kessler, who finished second to Wanyonyi in a time of 3:56.18.
Wanyonyi then scorched the tartan track at Nyayo National Stadium during the Kenyan trials for 2024 Paris Olympics, winning in 1:41.70, which was the third fastest performer ever over 800m behind Wilson Kipketer (1:41.11) and Rudisha’s world record.
Wanyonyi then upheld Kenya’s dominance at the Olympics, winning gold at Paris Olympics in a time of 1:41.19, surpassing Sedjati 1:41.46 from Monaco to reclaim the honour of being third fastest man in history over the distance after Kipketer and Rudisha.
Wanyonyi then improved his career best by 0.08 seconds to 1:41.11 when he retained his Diamond League crown in Lausanne Diamond on August 22, 2024. He tied with Kipketer in second place in the all-time 800m list, and only behind Rudisha. Wanyonyi now needs 0.2 seconds to equal Rudisha’s world record.
