Omanyala salivates on breaking own record at Kip Keino Classic

ATHLETICS Omanyala salivates on breaking own record at Kip Keino Classic

Abigael Wafula 18:00 - 25.02.2023

The sprint sensation ran a blistering race in the 100m final of the second Athletics Kenya meet.

Africa 100m champion Ferdinand Omanyala has set sights on bettering his African record of 9.77 at the Kip Keino Classic slated for May 13.

At the 2021 Kip Keino Classic, Omanyala set Kasarani Stadium ablaze when he placed second to break South African, Akane Simbine's record of 9.84.

The Commonwealth Games champion believes setting a new national or African record will not take more than three months. "Yes, it won't take long...not more than three months," he said.

The 27-year-old has yet again also proven to be unbeatable by running a world-leading time of 9.81 in the second Athletics Kenya meet held at the Nyayo National Stadium on Saturday, February 25.

Omanyala stormed through to the finish line ahead of Samuel Imeta who finished second in a personal best time of 9.94. South Africa's Henricho Bruintjies finished third in 10.20.

"It feels nice...I now want to maintain the intensity," he said in a post-race interview.

He had earlier revealed that he dreams of winning the World Championships title and lifting the Diamond League gong as he reiterated that 2023 is the year to achieve the set milestones.

He added that he will return to training afterwards and hopefully compete in two races in South Africa slated for March 12 and 26.

He noted that he will also be taking part in the Botswana Continental Cup before coming back to the country for the Kip Keino Classic.

Imeta proved to be Omanyala's closest challenger through his impressive run and Omanyala believes he is the next big name.

He lauded Imeta for the impressive show and advised him to maintain discipline if he wanted to achieve his dreams.

Omanyala also said he is impressed by how sprints are gaining popularity and he hopes that as time goes by, many young athletes will join the category in order to ensure continuity.

"I don't intend to run forever and so I'm hoping that by the time I'm out, we shall have more people competing over the distance," he said.

The sprint sensation has a huge fanbase that turned out to support him and he lauded them for their unwavering support. He also noted that it does not affect him considering he thrives under the hype.