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Emmanuel Wanyonyi has shared his inspiring story from quitting school in class three to live in the streets of Kitale and how he found his way back to making his Olympic debut at the Paris Olympics.
Youngster Emmanuel Wanyonyi has opened up about growing up in a family of 12, being a street kid and discovering his running talent as he gears up for the Paris Olympics.
Wanyonyi explained that he stopped going to school in class three and went to live in the streets in Kitale. He spent his life in the streets for six years before going back home since life became unbearable.
The world 800m silver medallist narrated that after going back home, he wanted to invest in his running talent to earn a scholarship. He decided to go back to school, joining class seven.
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“We are a family of 12 and I’m the middle child and when I was in class 3, I left home and went to the streets in Kitale. I stayed in the streets from 2011 to 2016 then went back home,” he said in a video shared by Nation Sport.
“I decided to stay at home since life in the streets was not easy. In 2018, I decided to invest in my training and told myself that if I wanted to run well, I needed to go back school and that’s exactly what I did. I went to class seven,” he added.
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“Wanyonyi kept on telling the dad, ‘I need you to buy me a pair of running shoes,’ and it was difficult. Then one day, the dad wakes up and has Ksh 300 and he left the money for Wanyonyi to go and purchase running shoes,” journalist Lynne Wachira chimed into the conversation.
His father left to go run his errands but never made his way back home after he was murdered and that’s when Wanyonyi’s life changed.
Wanyonyi added that in 2018, he got to the nationals in the primary school games and got a scholarship. He sat for his KCPE and joined form one later on.
His career breakthrough would come in 2021 when he won the 800m title at the World Under-20 Championships in Nairobi.
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Wanyonyi made his senior team debut at the 2022 World Championships in Eugene, finishing fourth in the men’s 800m. The 19-year-old then bettered his fourth-place finish from 2022 at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest where he finished second in the final.
As he goes to the Olympic Games, Wanyonyi has plans to stun the world with his performance with his main aim running a personal best time.
“In 2018 I got to the nationals and got a high school sports scholarship and I went and did my KCPE exams and joined form one in 2020. That’s when I met coach Claudio and Janeth Jepkosgei and coach Lelei and they saw my talent and supported me,” he revealed.
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