Wanyonyi made a late surge over the last 200 meters to snatch the victory from Djamel Sedjati and Marco Arop to end his already-stellar season on a high that day.
Reigning Olympic 800m champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi has opened up about his unforgettable victory at the 2024 Diamond League final in Brussels.
The 20-year-old stunned the field with a dramatic late surge in the final 200 meters, snatching victory from Algeria’s Djamel Sedjati and Canada’s Marco Arop in a race that few expected him to win.
Wanyonyi clocked an impressive 1:42.70 to secure the prestigious Diamond League Trophy, edging out Sedjati (1:42.86) and Arop (1:43.25) in a thrilling finish.
Reflecting on that iconic performance four months ago in a recent interview on NTV, Wanyonyi admitted that he hadn’t entered the race with victory in mind, citing extreme cold temperatures as a major hurdle.
“It was extremely cold that day. We would have run faster, but the weather ruined everything, with temperatures as low as eight or nine degrees,” Wanyonyi explained. “We didn’t even take our jackets off during the warmups.”
The conditions played havoc with the athletes’ preparation, and Wanyonyi admitted he struggled during the first lap.
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Wanyonyi has cited personal and practical reasons why he is hesitant to yield to pressure and open an athletes’ training camp.
“I had a chat with Djamel [Sedjati], and we concluded that whoever could adapt to the pace first would have the advantage. Those guys ran well over the first 400 meters, but my body refused to adapt.
“Honestly, I wasn’t going for the win that day—even in the call room, the cold had already taken its toll,” he said.
However, Wanyonyi’s mentality proved to be his greatest weapon. He noticed that Sedjati and Arop, who had set a blistering pace in the first 600 meters, began to fade. That was his moment.
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Emmanuel Wanyonyi’s journey is one of determination from being a school dropout and an herds boy to Olympic champion.
“I don’t know how to give up and lose hope. When I saw they weren’t running as fast anymore, I decided to kick and see where it would take me—and somehow, I found myself winning,” he said with a smile.
After crossing the finish line, Wanyonyi’s celebration spoke volumes. He pointed to his temple before placing a finger to his lips—a message to both himself and his critics.
Wanyonyi’s triumph in Brussels was the capstone of a remarkable season. Earlier in the year, he claimed his first Olympic gold medal in Paris with a time of 1:41.19, leading a competitive field.
He followed it up with a personal best of 1:41.11 at the Lausanne Diamond League, coming within 0.20 seconds of David Rudisha’s legendary world record.
