At the Kenyan Athletics Olympics Trials in Nairobi, 19-year-old Emmanuel Wanyonyi ran the fastest 800 meters since 2012, qualifying him for the Paris Olympics. His time of 1:41.70 makes him the third-fastest man in the event's history.
Wanyonyi's achievement is impressive, given that he almost failed to qualify for the finals after falling during Friday's semi-finals. He attributes his success to the fall, saying, "If I didn’t fall yesterday I would not have run like this today, so everything happens for a reason".
The only athletes who have run faster times are Kenya's two-time Olympic champion, David Rudisha, and Denmark's Wilson Kipketer. Rudisha holds the world record of 1:40.91 and also holds the second- and third-fastest times, followed by Kipketer with the fourth-fastest time of 1:41.11.
Ferdinand Omanyala also qualified for the Kenyan team, setting the world-leading time of 9.79 seconds in the men's 100 meters. This performance sees him regain the form that enabled him to set the African record of 9.77 during the Kip Keino Classic in Nairobi in 2021. Omanyala is confident that he can go even faster, saying, "Today was just a confirmation of what is coming because this part of the season we did not do much".
Faith Kipyegon, the double Olympic champion, also qualified for the Paris Games after winning both the 1500m and 5000 meter races at the trials.
"I wanted to execute as fast as possible and see what was possible at the finish line. Because people think that you can’t run fast at high altitudes, but I wanted to see if I can run fast or if the weather is going to affect me in any way,” she said after the race.
She is optimistic about her chances at the Olympics, saying she hopes to maintain her current form and chase two medals.
Mary Moraa, the women's 800m world champion, qualified for Paris in second place, with her sister Sarah Moraa in third. The athletics competition at the Olympics will take place at the Stade de France in Paris from August 1-11.