Growing up in extreme poverty in a small village in western Kenya, Emmanuel Wanyonyi’s daily life was marked by hardships.
Forced out of school aged 10, he worked long hours herding cattle. Sometimes he earned less than $2 a month.
Wanyonyi endured exploitation, switching jobs regularly after sometimes going unpaid, yet the man who would become the reigning Olympic 800m champion persisted because shelter and food were provided.
Life, and looking after cattle as a kid, was tough,” Wanyonyi told BBC Sport Africa.
I thought of quitting the job and going back home but remembered that I would still face the same challenges I was running away from.
“When I got something small, I would take it home to my siblings so they could have something to eat.”
One of 11 children, Wanyonyi had no choice but to leave school as his family could not afford exam fees of just 40 Kenyan shillings ($0.30).
He eventually managed to return to education with some of the earnings gathered from his time as a herdsboy and a stint as a labourer, and discovered a sense of purpose and escape in athletics.
Then came the sudden and unexplained death of his father, who worked as a caretaker at a dam, in 2018.
He had just dropped by the school to give me some money to buy running shoes with the payment he got that day,” Wanyonyi, now 20, explained.
“It’s like he was strangled and placed by the water. He was found with a mark on his head as if he was hit.
“What I think happened is that he placed his clothes there to swim and then someone came to rob him.”
With no official post-mortem, Wanyonyi says his family “never found closure”.
“That day, my world fell apart. It was painful but I didn’t have the luxury of grieving. I had to become the man of the house immediately.”
A fast rise to stardom
In the absence of his father, Wanyonyi hoped to pursue a career in athletics to help provide for his family.
But he initially faced ridicule because, unlike other parts of Kenya, his home region is not known for producing elite runners.
“When [Emmanuel] was running, people were mocking and laughing at him,” Wanyonyi’s mother Margaret Nasimiyu recalled.
“I was crying and feeling sad about it, but my boy told me: ‘Don’t cry, mum. One day I will buy you land and you will live a good life’.
“I thought it was just a joke, but God was with him.”
Following his return to school, Wanyonyi had no money for proper running shoes.
“If I found shoes, I would train. If not, I would run barefoot in the fields,” he added.
“Sometimes the shoes would break in one day and I’d have to wait until I could find another pair. But I never let that stop me.”
However, Wanyonyi credits his early years – and the issues he overcame – as strengthening him mentally.
“There is no challenge in life that can shock me,” he said.
“When people doubted me or laughed at me, I didn’t let it break me.”
Olympic triumph in Paris
Wanyonyi’s resourcefulness and drive caught the eye of his teachers, and he began competing in regional events in Kenya.
Standing out with his raw speed and endurance, despite a lack of formal training, he quickly rose through the ranks with a string of victories.
“People kept telling me, ‘You can make it far, Emmanuel’ but I didn’t believe it,” he said.
“I didn’t see myself as anything special. I was just running.”
In June this year, still aged 19, Wanyonyi became the third-fastest 800m runner of all time at Kenya’s Olympic trials.
He then followed that up by winning gold at Paris 2024 in August.
“It is not just a title – it has a lot of significance in my life,” Wanyonyi said.
“I wish my father was here to see me run. I would even push harder because of him, because of all the love he had for me.”
Wanyonyi’s coach Claudio Berardelli has hailed him as “an incredible talent”.
“He has a unique combination of speed and endurance,” the Italian told BBC Sport Africa.
Aiming for the world record
With an Olympic gold already secured so early in his career, Wanyonyi’s ambitions have grown.
His sights are focused on breaking the 800m world record of one minute and 40.91 seconds, which was set by compatriot David Rudisha at the London 2012 Olympics.
Wanyonyi was just two tenths of a second off that mark at the Diamond League meeting in Lausanne in August.
“He has this ability to keep pushing when others start fading,” Beradelli said.
The Italian brings his own experience, having previously worked with three 800m world champions.
Advancements in sports technology, from track surfaces to shoes, could assist Wanyonyi in his pursuit of the record, while his mental strength has been crucial.
“Wanyonyi is a champion in his mind,” his coach noted.
“He is fearless, probably because of his background. Even when he has difficult days you will never see him losing hope.
“He knows there’s always a new day to try again. That’s what sets him apart.”
Improving family life
For Wanyonyi, breaking the world record is about much more than just setting a time.
“I want to leave a legacy,” he said with quiet determination.
“I’m not obsessed with it, but I believe it’s possible. I know there is a level I should reach and I’m not yet there.”
His success has allowed him to improve his family’s circumstances, constructing three-bedroom homes for his mother and three elder brothers, and covering school fees for his four younger siblings.
“I wanted to do what my father would have done for them,” he said.
“They had to know that they were not alone.”
As he prepares for the 2025 season – and ultimately a pursuit of the world record – Wanyonyi’s family remain his underlying motivation.
“When I look at my family and where we came from, it only gives me strength. I can’t sleep and I can’t rest,” he said.
“They have been through so much and I want to give them a better life.”
