Meet Emmanuel
Emmanuel grew up in Baringo County, Kenya. Inspired by his two older brothers who ran competitively, he decided to take up running, later joining his brothers for speed sessions each week.
Emmanuel began running in school and was immediately having a lot of fun with it. He recalls giving cross country a try and knew right away that he had found his calling and wanted to run professionally.
He would soon catch the attention of his high school coach and in 2019 at age 16, he got his first big opportunity in a 5,000m selection race in Ngong (6,400’ altitude), comprised of both university and high school athletes. Only the 1st placed athlete in both the university and junior categories would win selection. Emmanuel placed 2nd overall in 14:05 and was the 1st place junior athlete earning a scholarship to go to Kurashiki High School in Japan. More success would come in 2019 where Emmanuel would place 14th in the Africa National 8km XC Championships.
In 2020, Emmanuel won his first 2 races in Japan, setting a new PB of 13:33 in the 5,000m at the Chugoku Long Distance Meeting in Miyoshi. While still in his first season at Kurashiki High School, Emmanuel ran the fastest time in the Okayama region at the 5,000m, lowering his 5,000m PB to 13:26 and earning the award for most promising athlete in the school. He would follow this up with another impressive outing placing 3rd overall in 13:37 at the All Japan High School Championships, Fukui.
Did You Know?
Outside of running, Emmanuel loves to hike and top of his list is a trek through the Pyrenees.
