NAIROBI — Newly crowned world record holder for the men’s 1000m, Emmanuel Wanyonyi remains coy about his prospects of setting the fastest time ever in the 800m.
The 21-year-old says he does not want to get ahead of himself by making a vow that may become difficult for him to follow through.
“I don’t want to talk about the World Record in the 800m. I first want to run fast and improve my personal best. Let me keep quiet, actions speak louder than words,” the Olympic and world champion said.
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Wanyonyi set the Monaco Diamond League alight on Friday night, crossing the finish line in a world record of 2:11.83, smashing Noah Ng’eny’s 27-year-old record of 2:11.96.
However, the elephant in the room remains the ‘small matter’ of the men’s 800m world record, which remains the preserve of another Kenyan — ‘King’ David Rudisha who clocked 1:40.91 at the 2012 London Olympics.
Ever since he set foot on the scene, Wanyonyi has been billed as the heir to his countryman, and has indeed come close on several occasions to inheriting the crown as the world fastest man over the distance.
He was famously seconds away from achieving that feat at the 2024 Lausanne Diamond League on August 22, clocking 1:41.11 on his way to victory.
Suffice to say that his world record in the men’s 1000m may provide Wanyonyi with the psychological push required to break Rudisha’s record.
As far as Monaco is concerned, the youngster was quick to share the glory with his competitors, whose elite performance he credited for pushing him towards the finish line.
“I am so excited and so happy that I could run today in Monaco. This was the first time I ran the 1,000m, and directly breaking the World Record makes me so happy. I want to thank the other athletes to push me to my limit,” he said.
Up next for Wanyonyi is the next leg of the Diamond League in London on Saturday (July 18).
Amid fans salivating for another superhuman performance, Wanyonyi, also the 2020 World Under 20 champion is focused on simply enjoying himself.
“My next competition is in London. I have decided to not run too much this season because I want to run very fast at the end of the season,” he said.
Could it be the evening or the night that a new world record holder for the men’s 800m is crowned?
Could it be Wanyonyi or another big gun to shoot the top of the all-time list for the one-lap race?
These are questions for which the answers will become clearer come Saturday evening.