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| Emmanuel Wanyonyi competing in Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Stade de France (r). Wanyonyi on podium during Men’s 800m Hurdles after winning gold medal (r). |
Kenyan middle-distance runner Emmanuel Wanyonyi has opened up about his early childhood. The athlete shared a heartbreaking story of his challenging upbringing and how he manoeuvred through it. When did Wanyonyi join Class 1? The 2024 Diamond League winner in the men’s 800m race said he never accessed education as his siblings.
As he grew up, his siblings were lucky to attend school, but they dropped out in Class 3 or 4 because of several challenges. “No one took me to school. I always admired and wanted to learn, but because there were many at home and we had many challenges, it was not possible. I first stepped into school when I took myself to Class 1. I did not even begin from nursery but Class 1, which I took myself in 2011,” he vividly recalled. When did Wanyonyi join Class 3? Wanyonyi said he borrowed the school uniform from a friend and did not mind whether it fit.
He was determined to get an education despite the circumstances back home, which were unfavourable. “I went to Class 2 the following year and then Class 3 in 2013. I could not continue my education and had to drop out like most of my siblings and look for menial jobs like being a herdsman. I was even being chased out of school because of KSh 40, which my parents could not afford,” the 20-year-old said.
Where is Emmanuel Wanyonyi from? As young as he was, Wanyonyi from Trans-Nzoia county said he did the work wholeheartedly and was paid KSh 350 monthly. He worked as a herdsman for that employer for only a month before being hired by a neighbour for the same work.
However, this came with some financial challenges, as his wages were KSh 150 less than he used to earn. How much did Wanyonyi earn for winning gold? In another story, Wanyonyi earned $50,000 (Ksh 6.45 million) from World Athletics for winning the gold medal and Ksh 3 million from the Kenyan government. In the Diamond League, he had two wins and a second-place finish. The wins came in Lausanne and Rabat, while his only defeat was in Paris just before the Olympics. Winners in a series received $10,000 (Ksh 1.29 million), while second-place finishers got $8,000 (approximately Ksh 1 million). Therefore, Wanyonyi earned Ksh2.3 million in the Diamond League.
by John Green
