Emmanuel Wanyonyi out to mine gold as Diamond League heads to Paris

ATHLETICS Emmanuel Wanyonyi out to mine gold as Diamond League heads to Paris

Abigael Wafula 12:56 - 08.06.2023

He will renew rivalry with Commonwealth Games champion Wycliffe Kinyamal and Olympic champion Emmanuel Korir.

Former world under-20 800m champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi has vowed to fight for gold as he heads to the Diamond League Meeting in Paris, France on Friday, June 9.

The 18-year-old noted that he cannot afford to lose the 800m race since he has been preparing well for this season under the tutelage of coach Claudio Berardelli who also trains two-time Boston Marathon champion Evans Chebet.

“I am going to fight in Paris to win the race. I can’t afford to lose a race after traveling all the way from Kenya. I have also trained well and I have no choice but to win…I will fight with the rest of the athletes,” Wanyonyi said in an interview with Supersport.

At the meeting, he will renew rivalry with Commonwealth Games champion Wycliffe Kinyamal and Olympic champion Emmanuel Korir.

The youngster defeated the duo at the Diamond League Meeting in Rabat, Morocco, and will also be looking for a repeat of the same when he sets foot on the track at the Charléty Stadium.

He opened his season with a win at the World Cross-country Championships in Bathurst, Australia before destroying a strong field at the Kip Keino Classic, a World Athletics continental gold tour meeting. 

Wanyonyi won the event after clocking a world lead of 1:42.32. After the Kip Keino Classic, he headed to Rabat, Morocco where he won the race.

“I felt some pressure at the Kip Keino Classic since I was opening my track season and I had the pressure to defend my title. I thank God I was able to run well. Going to Rabat was a great experience for me and I won,” he said.

Wanyonyi added that opening his season at the cross-country was a great build-up and he invested more time to speedwork since he had gotten the endurance in Australia.

After the Paris Meeting, Wanyonyi will start his campaign towards making the cut to the World Championships in Budapest, Hungary from August 19 to 27.

Tags: