Kenyan Emmanuel Wanyonyi plotting to break David Rudisha's 800m world record

Emmanuel Wanyonyi has made his intentions clear about breaking David Rudisha's world record.

Teenage sensation Emmanuel Wanyonyi believes his dream of breaking David Rudisha’s 800m world record is inching ever so closer.

Wanyonyi, the reigning world 800m silver medalist, told Sports Brief that he believes everything is possible and if Rudisha did it, he can also do it.

“In one of my first interviews, I said that I would break the world record. I want to use my talent to show people that it is possible.

"If David Rudisha did it, I can also do it. I just have to believe in my potential,” Wanyonyi said.

On his part, Rudisha first broke the world record on August 22, 2010, at the ISTAF World Challenge meeting in Berlin where he clocked 1:41.09 to win the race.

He then went ahead to break his own world record, clocking 1:40.91 set during the 2012 London Olympic Games that still stands to date.

Meanwhile, 19-year-old also talked about his training routine which has seen him achieve a number of feats in the 2023 season.

At just 19, he bagged a silver medal at the World Championships in Budapest, Hungary, finishing second behind Canada’s Marco Arop, 25.

He also won the Diamond League Meeting final, Prefontaine Classic, held at the Hayward Field in Eugene, USA.

Wanyonyi explained that his training includes a 20 to 25-kilometer run on alternate days. He also switches the running with fieldwork to work on speed, given that 800m is a combination of endurance and a little bit of sprinting towards the tail end.

posted Tuesday December 5th
by Abigael Wuafula