EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) – Nearly two months after becoming the third UTEP Miner to win an Olympic gold medal, Emmanuel Korir returned to El Paso late Thursday night.
Korir, a Kenyan native, won gold in the men’s 800 meters in August in Tokyo. Since then, he’s been an international jet-setter, flying home to his native Kenya, before traveling to various Diamond League events around the world.
His season culminated in September by winning the Diamond League final in the 800 meters in Zurich, Switzerland. The prestigious title comes with a lucrative cash prize.
Now, Korir is back in El Paso, where he lives and trains with UTEP track and field coach Paul Ereng, a fellow 800m gold medalist from Kenya. It’s been a long season and he’s happy to be back in the Sun City and to get some rest and recuperation.
“I can say it was tough for me. Especially expecting to come back home, suddenly making the finals at the Olympics and the Diamond League, but in the end I did it and I’m grateful and happy,” Korir told KTSM upon his return to El Paso.
Korir ran for UTEP for one season, in 2017, winning the NCAA indoor and outdoor national championship in the 800m. Since turning pro, he’s become one of the biggest stars in the world in both the 400 and 800 meters, culminating in his gold medal in Tokyo.
Korir will be honored at the Old Dominion-UTEP football game at the Sun Bowl on Saturday and will sign autographs and take pictures for fans at halftime.
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