Kenyan trio of Emmanuel Wanyonyi, Wyclife Kinyamal and Koitatoi Kidali will be looking to extend Kenya’s 16-year winning streak in the men’s 800m at the Olympics when the event kicks off on Wednesday.
Kenya’s dominance began with Wilfred Bungei’s triumph at the 2008 Beijing Olympics when he stormed to victory in 1:44.65.
This legacy was solidified by world record holder David Rudisha, who clinched gold in London 2012 with a stunning 1:40.91 (WR) and again in Rio 2016 with 1:42.15.
Most recently, Emmanuel Korir took the crown in Tokyo 2020, finishing in 1:45.06, ahead of compatriot Ferguson Rotich (1:45.23) and Poland’s Patryk Dobek (1:45.36).
Wanyonyi, boasting the fourth fastest time in men’s 800m history (1:41.58) set when he won the event at the Olympic Trials, is optimistic yet aware of the pressure.
“This will be my first Olympic appearance and there's some pressure. Kenyans should pray for the three of us and support us as we aim to make history in Paris,” Wanyonyi shared post-trials.
However, in international meetings this year, Kenya has suffered defeats in the event. Wanyonyi narrowly lost to Algeria’s Djamel Sedjati at the Paris meeting last month, with Sedjati setting a new world lead of 1:41.56, just ahead of Wanyonyi’s 1:41.58.
In the same meeting, Kinyamal placed in position five with a time of 1:42.08.
During last year’s World Championships in Budapest, Hungary, Canadian Marco Arop beat Wanyonyi to the title in 1:44.24 with Wanyonyi following in 1:44.53.
Wanyonyi, however, feels confident that with good health in Paris, he can turn the tide against the elite field.
“As long as I am in good health. I can promise Kenyans good results,” Wanyonyi remarked.
Wanyonyi holds the current world record in the road mile, with his time of 3:54.56 set at the Adizero Road to Records on April 27.
He is also the 2021 World U20 champion in the event with a Course record time of 1:43.76.
He has also bested the duo of Arop and Sedjati during last year's Prefontaine Classic, storming to victory in 1:42.80 with Arop (1:42.85) and Sedjati (1:43.06) trailing.
Wanyonyi also outpaced them in last year's Paris meeting, breaking the tape in 1:43.27 with Arop following closely in 1:43.30. Sedjati settled for position four in 1:43.40.
Kinyamal has emphasised the importance of teamwork for a Kenyan podium sweep. “We are going to fight for our country and ensure we secure the podium all of us,” Kinyamal noted.
Historically, the U.S. is the only nation to have swept the men’s 800m podium at the Olympics, achieving this feat in 1904 St. Louis and 1912 Stockholm.
