Emmanuel Wanyonyi sets sights on 800m World Record after stellar 2025 season

• Kenya’s Emmanuel Wanyonyi sets sights on 800m World Record held by David Rudisha.
• Wanyonyi has a personal best of 1:41.11 while Rudisha’s record set in 2012 is at 1:40.91.
• The Olympic champion also highlighted the foundation of his consistency in the 800m.

Kenya’s Emmanuel Wanyonyi has revealed his ambition of breaking the 800 meters world record in the near future following a sensational season in 2025.

Wanyonyi became the 800m World and Diamond League champion in 2025, a season in which he achieved four of the top six performances globally.

Those achievements included a world lead of 1:41.44 in Monaco and a championship record of 1:41.86 to secure gold at the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25 – adding another global title to his Olympic crown from Paris.

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Speaking to Athletics World Media just days after being crowned male Track Athlete of the Year at the World Athletics Awards 2025, the 21-year-old reflected on his outstanding performance in 2025 after first rising to prominence in 2023 as a Rising Star.

I’m so happy and excited. I remember in 2023 I came here and I won the Rising Star of the year. Today, I am here again. I want to thank World Athletics for this journey. Second, I want to thank my fans a lot for the love they give to me. I don’t have much to say, because I am so happy,” he told World Athletics.

Emmanuel Wanyonyi sets sights on 800m World Record

Though hesitant to disclose his plans for the 2026 season in detail, Wanyonyi stated that he aims to defend his title while also pursuing a double world championship- and hopes to challenge the world record in the near future.

I didn’t take this race for granted. I wanted to do everything to secure the gold. I expected the race to be really competitive and very fast, but I wanted to make sure to just win this gold.

Now, I need to defend this title. I want to be a double world champion. Maybe I will start to think about the world record too.

It may not happen now, but I also want to win gold in Los Angeles in 2028. That’s the biggest go,” he explained, outlining his ambitions.

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The Olympic champion also shared the key to his consistency in the 800m, emphasizing that focus and determination are essential.

It’s not easy to be consistent, to win the 800m, because it is so competitive. This means that my future is bright in the 800m. If you want to run 800m very fast, you need to be focused, to be a strong athlete, because the 800m is not easy to win continuously.”

Wanyonyi now aims to regroup with his coach’s guidance as he prepares for the upcoming season.

His objectives include defending his titles, maintaining his peak form, and challenging the world record that has stood since 2012, when fellow Kenyan sensation David Rudisha set it at 1:40.91 a mark that remains unbroken to this day.