Tokyo Olympic 800m champion, Emmanuel Korir has set his focus on breaking the World record in the coming season.
The 27 year-old wrote his name in the history books, when he took the top honor in Tokyo and became the fifth Kenyan man (Paule Ereng, William Tanui, Wilfred Bungei and David Rudisha) to win the 800m title at the summer Games .
Korir who is also the reigning world 800m champion has had brilliant season and is ranked as the sixth fastest athlete of all time over the 800m, holding a lifetime best of 1:42.05 and is also the three-time Diamond League champion.
Korir who burst into the limelight at the 2016 Kenyan Championships where he secure a personal best of 1:46.94 that opened his doors for scholarship at the University of Texas in El Paso (UTEP) under the stewardship of his current coach, the 1988 Olympic 800m champion, Paul Ereng.
Korir has hinted that he will be going after two times Olympic 800m champion, David Rudisha’s World Record of 1:40.91 that he set at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.
“I think next year, I would like to get to 1:41.00. If I can maintain the shape we can push to the World Record, It can be achieved, nothing is impossible. It just needs a proper plan,” said Korir.
The Elgeyo-Marakwet County born athlete who also holds the World Indoor 600m record was first discovered by renowned coach Brother Colm O’Connell, in 2011 while schooling at St. Francis Kimuron, the same high `school that Rudisha attended. At this particular time he was doing the 100m and 200m sprints but was convinced by the coach to take short races which suited him.
Korir who resides now in El Paso is the 2018 4×400m relay African champion. He also holds the second fastest time ever run on Kenyan soil of 44.21 that’s just 0.03 seconds shy off the 26 year long-standing 400m Kenya National Record that was set in 1992 in Barcelona by Samson Kitur.
The man who once almost fell into depression after a calf injury that put him out of active competition and lost sponsors, then dealing isolation after many of his friends dropped him, is planning to create more athletics history in the coming season and beyond as he targets to become the fourth man (Billy Konchellah,Wilson Kipketer and David Rudisha) to win two gold medals in 800m race at the World Championships.
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