Olympic 800m champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi is set to headline the one-mile race at the Adizero Road to Records in Herzogenaurach, Germany, this Saturday, as he continues to sharpen his form ahead of the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo.
Wanyonyi is riding high after a thrilling start to his track and field season on April 4-6 in Kingston, Jamaica.
The 20-year-old was the undisputed star of the men's short-distance events (800m and 1,500m) at the opening leg of the inaugural Grand Slam Track.
He stopped the clock at 3:35.18 in the 1,500m, edging out Olympic silver medallist Yared Nuguse (3:35.36) and Olympic champion Cole Hocker (3:35.52), both of the USA.
In his signature 800m, Wanyonyi was second behind world champion Marco Arop of Canada, clocking 1:46.44 to Arop’s 1:45.13.
Despite the narrow defeat, middle distance sensation topped the short distance standings and bagged a cool Sh12.9 million.
Following his remarkable performance, Wanyonyi now turns his focus to the roads.
"My next race will be a One-mile race at the Adizero Road to Records on Saturday," Wanyonyi said, adding that he will leave the country on Thursday.
Established in 2021, the Adizero Road to Records has grown into a premier showcase of speed, staged at Adidas’ global headquarters.
This year’s edition features six road races, including the 5km, 10km, and mile events for both men and women.
Wanyonyi has fond memories of the meet, having made history last year, clocking a road mile world record of 3:54.6 to beat USA’s Hobbs Kessler (3:56.2) and South Africa’s Ryan Mphahlele (3:56.5).
His record, however, was later eclipsed by Britain’s Elliot Giles, who ran 3:51.3 in Dusseldorf, Germany.
Germany’s race and the upcoming Grand Slam legs in Miami, Philadelphia and Los Angeles are all part of Wanyonyi’s master plan for Tokyo.
“I raced in the Kingston Grand Slam 1,500m as part of my buildup for the 800m for Tokyo,” he said.
“I am not under any pressure. My focus is on training well because the season is long.”
Wanyonyi is gunning for redemption in Tokyo after taking silver behind Arop at the 2023 Budapest World Championships. He clocked 1:44.53 to Arop’s 1:44.24, a result that lit a fire in his belly.
"So far, my preparations for the World Championships are going great. My target is to run and get gold in Tokyo," Wanyonyi affirmed.
That Budapest silver, he says, was a turning point as he aimed for more accolades in the 2024 season.
"I failed to win gold in Budapest, but it was a great experience for me as I was still young and getting the experience of competing on the grand stages," he noted.
"The silver medal from Budapest motivated me to get more in the 2024 season, and I was eventually able to win gold at the Olympics in my first appearance.
In Paris, Wanyonyi delivered a superb performance, clocking 1:41.9 to edge Arop (1:42.20) and Algeria’s Djamel Sedjati (1:42.50) in a dramatic final.
Yet, he remains coy when it comes to the holy grail of the two-lap race—David Rudisha’s 1:40.91 world record from the London 2012 Olympics.
Wanyonyi, who shares the number two spot on the all-time list with Wilson Kipketer (1:41.11), acknowledges the monumental effort it takes to eclipse such a mark despite being just 0.20 seconds off.
"What I promise Kenyans is that I will be aiming to improve my personal best in the 800m. I will not talk about the world record because it takes a lot to break a world record," he said.
He paid tribute to Rudisha, calling him the benchmark in the two-lap event. "I respect Rudisha. He has run top times almost five times, and I have just done it once so its still a process," he added.
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