Emmanuel Wanyonyi’s autographs selling for thousands after historic 800m season

Emmanuel Wanyonyi’s autographs selling for thousands after historic 800m season

Emmanuel Wanyonyi’s autographs selling for thousands after historic 800m season

Abigael Wafula 20:00 - 23.11.2024

Businesspeople are profiting from Emmanuel Wanyonyi’s autographs after his record-breaking 800m season and historic Olympic win at just 20 years old.

Business people are making money from Emmanuel Wanyonyi’s autograph as they are selling it for as low as Ksh 3000 with others going for more than Ksh 5000.

After he won the Paris Olympic Games, the Kenyan 800m sensation became one of the world’s beloved and CNN journalist Larry Madowo shared a video of him signing dozens of autographs after the Diamond League Meeting final in Brussels.

At the event, reigning Olympic champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi won the 800m trophy once again, beating Djamel Sedjati and Marco Arop to second and third place respectively in the race. He has been impressive this season and just at 20, he has managed to achieve great milestones in his career with people asking for autographs for him.

This season has been one of the most fruitful seasons for Wanyonyi who has posted faster times and even rounded up his season as the fastest man over the 800m in 2024. He is also the second-fastest man, tying with Wilson Kipketer just after world record holder David Rudisha.

Wanyonyi started his season with a win in the 2km at the Sirikwa Classic Cross Country before finishing second in the 2km at the Kenyan Cross-Country Championships. The world 800m silver medallist then proceeded to the Kip Keino Classic where he claimed top honours before breaking the mile road world record at the Adizero Road to Records.

He won the Diamond League Meeting in Rabat before setting a world-leading and personal best time at the Kenyan Olympic trials and went on to better his time with a second-place finish at the Diamond League Meeting in Paris.

At the Olympic Games, Emmanuel Wanyonyi claimed top honours, becoming the youngest-ever Kenyan to win the Olympic title in the 800m. He did not stop at that as he proceeded to claim the win at the Diamond League Meeting in Lausanne and went on to finish second in Silesia.

Wanyonyi ended his track season with a win at the Diamond League Meeting final in Brussels.