Kenya: Emmanuel Wanyonyi has triumphs Gold in Men’s 800m race at Paris Olympics 2024. The 20-year-old sprinter becomes the youngest to ever win the race and this is the first Olympics, that he has participated in.
The Athlete from Kenya took on the pacing duties early by splitting it to 50.30 seconds over the first 400 meters and then despite of some challenges, held off Canada’s Macro Arop by a mere hundredth-of-a-second to win in 1:41.19.
Wanyonyi ticked the third fastest time in the history, while Arop was behind him an completed the race at 1:41.20, hitting a new Canadian National Record.
Algerian Djamel Sedjati, who began as the Olympic favourite heading, finished the race at third place in 1:41.50. He had to maintain a significant margin after the bell lap, as he remained at seventh and did not respond on the early pace.
After him left was the American Bryce Hoppel, who agonized out of the medal count. But was able to collect the consolation prize, which was a new American record and shattered Donovan Brazier’s previous mark of 1:42.34 with an insane 1:41.67.
In total, all eight finalists ran under 1:44, that will be counted as one of the fastest 800m races in the history.
From the very beginning, Wanyonyi revealed his intention to dominate the race, he quickly took the lead and set a steady pace that put his rivals to the test. While the tension was visibly high, he kept his cool and managed his energy perfectly.
As the final lap approached, Canadian Marco Arop, the reigning world champion, and the Algerian bronze medallist Djamel Sedjati, tried to catch up with Wanyonyi, but he withstood the pressure with great mastery.
Reportedly, the final sprint was particularly intense, with all three runners’ neck and neck in the home stretch. It was at this point that Wanyonyi found the strength to accelerate again, edging out Marco Arop by just one-hundredth of a second to cross the finish line first.
This historic result, with the third-best 800m time in history, attests not only to Wanyonyi’s exceptional talent but also to his potential to become an athletics legend.
His victory further marks a continuation of Kenya’s domination of the 800m, a discipline in which the country has often shone at the Olympic Games. Emmanuel Wanyonyi, who had already impressed the World Championships. He confirmed his status as a prodigy and successor to the iconic figures of Kenyan middle-distance running.
With this, Kenya became the most successful African country in Olympics history, clinching 123 medals, as whole, including 39 Gold, 44 Silver and 40 Bronze medals, placing Kenya at 17th.