- Emmanuel Wanyonyi has revealed that he will not double in the 2025 Tokyo World Athletics Championships.
- Wanyonyi stated that his full attention is on the 800m discipline.
- Many Kenyans had placed their hopes on Wanyonyi representing the country in the 800m and 1500m races at the Tokyo World Athletics Championships.
One-time Olympic Games champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi made his plans for the 2025 World Athletics Championships clear on Saturday, May 24.
Wanyonyi, who is currently in Morocco ahead of Sunday’s Rabat Diamond League, revealed that he will not compete in two disciplines in the event that is scheduled to be staged in Tokyo, Japan between September 13 and September 21.
As stated by Wanyonyi, it will be too early for him to represent Kenya in both the 1500m and 800m races.
“I will not 1500m in Tokyo. I need to run 800m. I don’t need to rush very fast to the 1500m,” he divulged during the Rabat Diamond League press conference.
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Wanyonyi, who won an 800m gold medal for Kenya in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, was expected to double in this year’s World Athletics Champions based on his excellent performances in the 1500m race in recent months.
The athlete, who trains in Kapsabet under the tutelage of experienced Italian coach Claudio Berardelli, won the 1500m race at the Kingston Grand Slam Track in April, beating all the Paris Olympic Games in the process.
Prior to his triumph in the Kingston Grand Slam Track, Wanyonyi had also won a 1500m title in a local race in Kenya.
Emmanuel Wanyonyi explains his main aim for the 2025 Rabat Diamond League
The Kenyan also took the opportunity to talk about the Rabat Diamond League where he set to square it out with the likes of compatriots Wyclife Kinyamal and Aaron Cheminingwa.
Although he stated that he will not attack David Rudisha’s world record, Wanyonyi promised to give the fans a special performance.
“I am ready for tomorrow, to defend my title again. I don’t need to talk too much. But I need to show the fans I can do it.
This is my first Diamond League for this season. It is my first 800m run this year. So, I don’t expect to run very fast. I need to run my race tomorrow,” he commented.
Emmanuel Wanyonyi on life after the 2024 Paris Olympic Games success
When asked how the effect that the Paris Olympic Games triumph had on his life, Wanyonyi disclosed that it made him hungrier.
“The event in Paris for the Olympics changed my life but it didn’t change me mentally because I need to run another Olympics, Los Angeles. So, I need to stay focused. I need to be humble, I need to train well,” Wanyonyi replied.
ALSO READ: Emmanuel Wanyonyi dismantles 1500m Olympic Games medalists at Kingston Grand Slam Track