Emmanuel Wanyonyi: Kenyan Teen Makes Shortlist for World Athletics Rising Star Award

• World Athletics has revealed the names of the three athletes who will battle for the Rising Star Award
• The award is given to an athlete aged 20 years and below who exhibited exemplary performances
• World 800m silver medalist Emmanuel Wanyonyi made the cut

Emmanuel Wanyonyi has made the final shortlist for the 2023 World Athletics Male Rising Star of the Year. The Kenyan runner is in line to receive his first major recognition from the world governing body after what has been an outstanding season.

The award is a reserve for the breathtaking performances of all the athletes under the age of 20 for a particular season.

The 800m specialist first made real headway when he bagged gold at the 2021 World U-20 Championships in Nairobi before heading to the Eugene World Athletics championships, where narrowly missed a podium place finish, settling for fourth place.

Sha'Carri Richardson awards Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton at Austin Formula 1 sprint race

Formula 1

Emmanuel Wanyonyi's 2023 season

He made improvements this year in Budapest, where he finished second behind Marco Arop. He, however, exacted his revenge on the big Canadian at the Diamond League finals in Eugene.

On top of that, he won the leg circuits in Paris, Xiamen and Rabat, plus was part of the squad that won the world cross-country relays.

The 19-year-old will face stiff competition from American Erriyon Knighton, who claimed a second medal in the 200m at the World Athletics Championships. A bronze medallist on home soil last year, Knighton upgraded it to Silver in Budapest, finishing behind Noah Lyles.

He also won the Diamond League circuits in Florence and Oslo.

The other shortlisted candidate is Roshawn Clarke from Jamaica. Clarke agonisingly missed out on podium places in Budapest, finishing fourth but set a World U20 record in the process.

The winner will be announced on December 11, as per the press release.

Aston Villa thrash West Ham to close on Premier League top four

Football

Exciting news! We have a WhatsApp channel 🤩

➡️ Click to join our channel for all your favourite sports news.

What Wanyonyi earned in the Diamond League events

Wanyonyi's 2023 season was spectacular. At 19, he is a world silver medalist and a Diamond League champion.

In the 2023 season, as Sports Brief reported, he won four Diamond League races, including the final on September 17 in Eugene. He also won in Rabat, Paris, and Xiamen. He finished eighth in Monaco.

Therefore, he won a total of $70,500. When converted to Kenyan shillings, it is 10,363,547.