NAIROBI, Kenya, June 15 – World 800m silver medalist Emmanuel Wanyonyi believes it was a blessing for him to fall down in the semis of the men’s 800m at the national trials for the Paris Olympics on Friday.
The mile record holder said the disastrous finish was encouragement for him to come back stronger in the finals, in which he clocked a world’s third fastest time of 1:41.70 in the one-lap race.
“I was tripped yesterday (Friday) and that’s why I fell down. You can see even my knee was swollen. Coming here today, I had made up my mind not to repeat the mistake I made in the semis. I decided to run my race today and told myself that everything happens for a reason. Maybe it is today that I would have fallen and that’s how my Olympics dreams would have been shattered,” Wanyonyi said.
Commonwealth Games champion Wycliffe Kinyamal claimed second place in 1:42.50 as Koitatoi Kidali came third in 1:42.66.
Wanyonyi is in stupendous form heading into the Paris Olympics, having clocked a world record of 3:54.6 in the men’s mile at April’s Adizero Roads to Records in Herzogenaurach, Germany.
A week earlier, the 19-year-old had clocked a world lead of 1:43.57 in the men’s 800m at the Kip Keino Classic World Continental Tour at the Nyayo Stadium.
With Olympics defending champion Emmanuel Korir out of contention for a title defence, all Kenyan hopes will be pegged on the 2021 World Under 20 800m champion to bring the gold back home.
It is a task Wanyonyi admits is not for the faint-hearted and as such is asking for prayers as he slugs it out with the best-of-the-best.
“I expect good things from Paris and I trust that God will preserve me and lead the way. I ask that Kenyans continue to pray for us as we go for this battle. Considering this is my first Olympics, the pressure to bring back the gold is definitely there,” he said.
In the previous edition of the Olympics in Tokyo, Korir led a 1-2 finish with Ferguson Rotich clinching silver.
