Olympic 800m champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi has reignited talk of a possible world record attempt shortly after storming to a world-leading 1:41.44 at the Monaco Diamond League.
The 20-year-old Kenyan lit up the Stade Louis II track, becoming the first man to dip under 1:42 this season while obliterating the meeting record in a fiercely contested two-lap showdown. He led American Josh Hoey, who came second in 1:42.01 and Algeria's Djamel Sedjati, who completed the podium in 1:42.20.
The men's mark over the two-lap race stands at 1:40.91, set by David Rudisha at the 2012 London Olympics. Wanyonyi is joint second on the fastest time in the 800m, having posted a 1:41.11 at the Lausanne Diamond League meeting in 2024. Wilson Kipketer, who jointly held the men's mark from 1997 before Rudisha obliterated it. Buoyed by his emphatic victory, Wanyonyi believes breaking the 13-year-old world record is well within reach.
"Sometimes I think about the world record, I think I can break it in the future," Wanyonyi said post-race. Wanyonyi revealed he came to Monaco prepared to run a good race.
"I came here prepared to run a season's best and meet record. I am thankful I was able to run a World lead also," he added. "I gave my best today, so I am happy with the result."
However, he remains grounded, acknowledging the depth of talent currently surging through the men’s 800m. "The 800m is now very competitive, so I need to push even harder than usual on my training," he noted.
Wanyonyi has been in scintillating form since the start of the season. He kicked off his campaign with a dominant cross-country victory at the National Championships on February 8 in Eldoret, storming to a 6:14 finish in the 2km loop event. His first international competition was at the Kingston Grand Slam meeting in Jamaica, where he won the 1,500m (3:35.18) and placed second in the 800m (1:46.45).
He followed it up with a decisive win in the Mile at the Adidas Adizero Road to records in Herzogenaurach, Germany, cutting the tape in 3:52.45. However, Wanyonyi got his Diamond League campaign off to a sluggish start in Rabat on May 25, finishing third in 1:43.37 behind Botswana’s Tshepiso Masalela (1:42.70) and Britain’s Max Burgin (1:43.34).
The 2023 World silver medallist bounced back emphatically in the next meeting in Oslo, storming to a 1:42.78 victory on June 12. He led Spain's Mohamed Attaoui (1:42.90) and Sedjati (1:43.06). Wanyonyi followed it up with a 1:41.95 victory in Stockholm on June 15, holding off Sedjati (1:42.27) and Hoey (1:42.43).
With the World Championships looming, Wanyonyi is focused on fine-tuning his preparations. " The focus is now on the preparations for the next races before the World Championships."
