•Wanyonyi admitted that the final would not be easy considering the competition but promised to fight to the bitter end.
•The other Kenyan in the semifinals Alex Ngeno was axed after finishing eighth in Heat 2 in 1:45.56.
Image: ERICK BARASA
Emmanuel Wanyonyi insists he has a surprise for Kenyans, especially after qualifying as a lone ranger to the men’s 800m final at the ongoing World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary.
Wanyonyi won his semi-final heat after posting 1:43:83 ahead of Spanish Ben Adrian in a personal best of 1:43.92.
The other Kenyan in the semifinals Alex Ngeno was axed after finishing eighth in Heat 2 in 1:45.56.
The heat was won by Canadian Marco Arop in 1:44.02 with Algerian Djamal Dedjati (1:44.49) and Spanish Saul Ordonez (1:44.74) placing second and third respectively.
Algeria's Slimane Moula won Heat 1 in 1:43.93 ahead of Tshepiso Maselela of Botswana (1:44.14) and Ben Pattison (1:44.23).
Wanyonyi admitted that the final would not be easy considering the competition but promised to fight to the bitter end.
“Competition is high but having reached the final, I believe anything is possible,” he noted.
He said his body is responding well despite the harsh weather conditions in Budapest, adding that he was determined to perform especially after his counterpart Ng’eno had crashed out.
“I really wanted us to qualify for the final together but this did not happen. Sometimes athletics boils down to individual effort and I will give it my best shot," he said, adding that he was surprised to have run 1:43 in the semifinals.
“I did not expect this but as I said, in competition, anything is possible. I guess things are looking up and we can only wait and see how it goes in the final,” he added.
Wanyonyi said his mind was racing fast after he saw Ngeno exit in the semis and had to ask God to give him strength since it was going to be a shame for Kenya not to appear in the final yet they are the defending champions through Emmanuel Korir.
Ngeno, meanwhile, said his body just shut and could not respond with 200m to go.
“My body could not move and I just slowed down,” he added.
He hopes Wanyonyi can make it up for their struggle with a medal but promises to bounce back strongly.
“I hope I will be ready for the Paris 2024 Olympics where I intend to make up for my loss here,” he said.
He said from Budapest, he will head to the Xiamen Diamond League in China on September 2.
“I will fly directly from here to the Xiamen Diamond League,” he affirmed.