Wanyonyi has cited personal and practical reasons why he is hesitant to yield to pressure and open an athletes’ training camp.
Emmanuel Wanyonyi, the Olympic gold medalist in the 800m, has opened up about the pressure he faces to start his own athlete’s camp.
Despite his success on the global track stage, Wanyonyi is hesitant to take this step, citing both personal and practical concerns.
Emmanuel Wanyonyi’s journey is one of determination from being a school dropout and an herds boy to Olympic champion.
While Wanyonyi acknowledges the expectations that come with his achievements, particularly the call to give back to the community, he is not yet ready to open a camp for up-and-coming athletes.
The 800m Olympic champion has, however, taken a more personal approach to mentorship, inviting aspiring athletes to train with him on a smaller scale.
“I welcome anyone who wants to train with me,” said Wanyonyi in a recent feature interview with Kenyan broadcaster NTV.
“I invite them over for breakfast in the morning, and then we go to certain events. I give them a time and place and tell them to meet me there. If there’s a race like cross-country, we all go together. I tell them that their progress will come from hard work, if they’re top ten or top twenty and improving, we’ll help find them a place to train.”
Despite this hands-on mentorship, Wanyonyi faces growing pressure to formalize his support in the form of an athlete’s camp.
However, he remains firm in his decision to hold off on opening a camp until after his career as an athlete is over.
“I can’t open a camp right now because I’m still an athlete,” he explains citing his reasons on why he is hesitant.
“My time will come. When I retire, I will open a camp here at home and train the athletes that I want to train. At that point, I’ll have the time and resources to truly help them. I can’t bring athletes to camp when I don’t even have shoes or food for them.”
For Wanyonyi, the decision to open a camp is not just about the desire to give back, it’s about ensuring he can provide the right environment and resources for those who seek to follow in his footsteps.
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World 800m champion Marco Arop has opened up on the mental toughness he needed to have to get onto the podium at the Paris Olympics as he lacked belief of winning a medal.
Until then, his mentorship will remain more personal and individualized, offering guidance to those willing to put in the work while keeping his focus on his own athletic career.
After his crowning moment at the 2024 Paris Olympics where he won gold in the men’s 800m, Wanyonyi will be eying more laurels in an action packed 2025 campaign.
