Emmaculate Anyango in Iten (© Justin Lagat)
For Emmaculate Anyango, nothing is impossible as long as you believe in yourself. This is a slogan she will march forward with in a year that holds so many opportunities and possibilities, from the World Athletics Cross Country Championships Belgrade 24 to the Olympic Games in Paris.
While the rest of the world watched and cheered as her Kenyan compatriot Hellen Obiri became a multiple world champion, a two-time Olympic silver medallist and a two-time world major marathon winner, Anyango observed something in her that would change her own running career.
“I always like watching Hellen Obiri run. She tends to give it her all in her races,” says Anyango. “In her cross country races, she often runs one way at the front from start to finish. She always has a great desire to win and believes in herself.
“In the past, I always told myself that when I became a good runner, I wanted to be like Hellen. When you get a chance to shine, use it to shine. You need to use your time right now to make history while you can, so you do not regret it later.”
When it comes to giving it their all, the same characteristics appear to apply to Anyango, who went for a 30km long run the week after running faster than the world 10km record in Valencia on 14 January. Remarkably, she didn’t win the 10km race, as her compatriot Agnes Ngetich won in a world record of 28:46 ahead of Anyango’s 28:57.
After such a great run, it would have been no surprise if Anyango decided to take a few days of rest, but the 23-year-old was feeling great, and what would have been an easy run ended up being a 30km effort.
“I think the world record run in Valencia helped take my form to its peak,” she explains. “After that race, I felt that I was getting into another level of fitness.”
Her solo run at the World Athletics Cross Country Tour Gold event in Eldoret some three weeks later may have proved her right.
“I believe that when I recover a bit too much, it will take long for my body to pick up again,” Anyango says.
Emmaculate Anyango wins the Sirikwa Classic Cross Country (© Michelle Katami)
Early days
Anyango did not have support from her family when she decided to take up running, because nobody believed she had the talent. But now her family realise that she can make it, and that has made her want to achieve even more.
When she moved to Iten, she found a great community of runners who trained alongside her, offering her much-needed teamwork in long runs and other workouts. However, she still often creates some extra time for herself to train before joining the group later in the day.
“At times, I go for my own training run alone at 3am, and then I join the rest of the group for the 9am training,” says Anyango.
Having ideal conditions to train well, Anyango swore to herself that she would always do her best to excel and be a breadwinner for her family back in Litein, Kericho.
The athlete has reached the point in her life where a mother and a daughter exchange their roles. Her single mother and her siblings now depend on her, and she is happy about the opportunity to give back.
“I am now like a father and a mother to my entire family in Litein, Kericho. That includes my mother and five siblings," says Anyango, who has a brother and four sisters. “I am a father to all of them, and I am happy to be like that to them. They are part of what motivates me to work hard in my training.”
Medals in mind
Like every other top athlete in the world this year, Anyango is eyeing the Paris Olympics. Any medal there would be great for her, but her aim is gold.
But first, she has already booked her ticket to the World Cross Country Championships, which will be held in Belgrade on 30 March. Anyango finished second to Ngetich at the Kenyan cross country trials on 2 March.
“Regarding my plans this year, I am really hoping I can get a medal at the World Cross Country Championships and another medal at the Paris Olympics,” Anyango says.
“My year so far has started very well.”
She has been taking lessons from her races, and this explains why she decided to dominate the World Cross Country Tour Gold race in Eldoret, from gun to tape.
“Agnes (Ngetich) has been my favourite competitor. I wish she were running with me at the Sirikwa Classic Cross Country. She has been making me push my limits while running,” says Anyango.
“Sometimes, you may decide to relax in a group waiting to unleash a finishing kick in the end, but then you are beaten by competitors with a better finishing speed. I now go to my races with my own plan. So, at the Sirikwa Classic, I went with my own race plan.”
The 2019 African U20 3000m silver medallist has achieved her best performances so far in distances ranging from 1500m to 10,000m on the track, but her main focus going to the Paris Olympics will be on the longer discipline.
“My mind is on the 10,000m, although I believe I am also able to do well in the 5000m event,” she says.
"I only pray for good health, and I believe I will be able to achieve anything I set my mind to this year."
Justin Lagat for World Athletics
