Olympic 800m champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi believes the time has come to crown his dominant 2025 campaign with the elusive world title in Tokyo.
Wanyonyi had a glittering 2025 Diamond League campaign that ended with a hat-trick of Diamond League trophies in Zurich. The 20-year-old Kenyan sensation produced a commanding 1:42.37 in the Swiss city to lift his third consecutive Diamond League trophy. He edged out Britain’s Max Burgin (1:42.42) and Canada’s Marco Arop (1:42.57) in a pulsating finish.
The Zurich trophy marked Wanyonyi's third straight final victory following previous triumphs in 2023 (1:42.80) and 2024 (1:42.70). With the Diamond crown secured, Wanyonyi now turns his attention to Tokyo, where he will chase the one jewel missing from his cabinet, a World Championships gold medal. "I plan to make sure I make the finals in Tokyo."
During the last edition of the global bonanza in Budapest, Wanyonyi clocked 1:44.53 to finish second behind Arop (1:44.24). Wanyonyi heads to Tokyo armed with a sharper form and the fastest time in the world this season, but insists it is all about the medal rather than chasing records.
"The championship is all about tactics and the medal is more important than tactics," Wanyonyi said. Zurich was the perfect rehearsal with Wanyonyi showing composure and authority. "I am happy to have defended my Diamond League trophy. This is my first time in Zurich, and I am thrilled to have come and won here."
He noted that dictating the pace was key before kicking clear in the last 200m. "This was a very close race. I think before we lined up, I knew it was going to be a very tough race. Everyone came here prepared, and I knew ot would be tough."
"I planned to go in front and control the pace. In the last 200m, I knew I was strong, so I knew if I led with 300m to go, I would win," he said. Wanyonyi hopes to sharpen his craft in the few remaining days before Tokyo to be in peak condition. "For Tokyo, we will sit down with my coach in the few remaining days so we can see what I need to improve on."
He added, "I am already done with training, so now it's all about sharpening my form."
Wanyonyi's consistency and range this season have been staggering. His 2025 campaign kicked off with a 2km loop victory at the National Cross Country Championships in Eldoret, where he cut the tape in 6:14. He followed it up with the Kingston Grand Slam on April 6, featuring in both the 800m and 1,500m.
In the 1,500m, he dismantled an elite cast to claim victory in 3:35.18 with Americans Yared Nuguse (3:35.36) and Cole Hocker (3:35.52) rounding off the podium. In his preferred 800m event, however, Wanyonyi placed second (1:46.44), outkicked by Arop (1:45.13). On April 26, he claimed a one-mile victory at the Adidas Adizero Road to Records, stopping the clock in 3:52.45 before kicking off his Diamond League campaign.
He opened his Diamond League campaign in Rabat on May 25, where he clocked 1:43.37 to place third behind Botswana's Tshepiso Masalela (1:42.70) and Britain's Max Burgin (1:43.34). Wanyonyi clinched his first victory in Oslo, clocking 1:42.78 ahead of Spain's Mohamed Attaoui (1:42.90) and Algeria's Djamel Sedjati (1:43.06).
He followed it up with another dominant display in Stockholm, clocking 1:41.95 with Sedjati (1:42.27) and Hoey (1:42.43) in second and third place. However, the two-lap prodigy wasn't done there. On July 11, Wanyonyi clocked a world-leading time of 1:41.44 at the Monaco meeting, well clear of Hoey (1:42.01) and Sedjati (1:42.20).
Wanyonyi's time from Monaco places him as the fastest man over 800m this year, a major psychological edge over his rivals before Tokyo. Further, he is the only man to have dipped under 1:42 this season. In London on July 19, he clocked 1:42.00, outkicking World Champion Marco Arop (1:42.22) and Britain's Max Burgin (1:42.36). In Lausanne, where, despite brutal weather conditions, he clocked 1:43.29 to place second behind Hoey (1:42.82).
