Meet Emmanuel Wanyonyi, a Kenyan athlete who won the third gold medal for Kenya at the Paris Olympics in 2024.
Very little was known about Emmanuel Wanyonyi until 2021 when he won the 800 meters race in the World Under-20 Championships, which were hosted in Nairobi, Kenya.
Wanyonyi, who recently celebrated his 20th birthday, was born and raised in Kitale, Trans Nzoia County, in a family of 12 siblings.
While in lower primary school, he dropped out and delved into street life from 2011 to 2016. It was during his time on the streets that he discovered his running talent.
He returned home with the aim of enrolling back in school and getting a scholarship. However, life took a turn when his father failed to return home after leaving him with Ksh 300 to buy racing shoes.
This incident did not deter him from accomplishing his dreams. He enrolled back in school, and in 2018, he participated in the primary school national athletics.
He later on sat for his KCPE and joined Form One since he had secured a scholarship.
Wanyonyi now becomes the 6th Kenyan to win Gold medal in the 800 metres race at Olympics following Paul Ereng win in 1988, William Tanui in 1992, Wilfred Bungei in 2008, David Rudisha in 2012 and Emmanuel Korir in 2020.
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