Ferdinand Omanyala reveals why most athletes eventually end up poor despite successful running careers

© Ferdinand Omanyala X.

Ferdinand Omanyala reveals why most athletes eventually end up poor despite successful running careers

Mark Kinyanjui 09:07 - 13.05.2024

Omanyala has revealed where most athletes go wrong during their careers that leaves them regretting over the long term.

Kenyan sprint star Ferdinand Omanyala has opined where he thinks athletes go wrong during their careers which leaves them regretting for the rest of their lives.

Omanyala has been making waves both on and off the tracks, enrolling in programmes and earning endorsements that have helped set him up for life even after retirement.

The 28-year-old is still yet to complete his undergraduate degree in chemistry from the University of Nairobi, but is also a licensed police officer working in the Criminal Investigative Department (CID).

He has also attracted lots of sponsors, such as Toyota, Visa and Oppo, which are sure to earn him extra bob apart from the one he makes when he takes part in races.

Speaking on the Ready Set Go podcast, Omanyala was of the opinion that many athletes think that they will take part in athletics forever, not forgetting they will approach retirement at some point.

“Athletes do not really understand that there is always an end to this. It gets to them when they are approaching retirement.

“I was talking to a therapist and he was telling me, imagine doing this till 35, and then God decides you live to 90 years, meaning you have 55 more years that you need to live after. What have you done from 20 till 35?

"Did you seize all opportunities being thrown at you or you were not listening to people?

“That is why I have all these things around me and as an athlete, I understand that I will retire at some point,so I have my back up plans.”

Omanyala was quick to slam athletes who turn their noses up at small achievements, speaking against their “pride”.

“They should not be proud. I see that in Kenya. You get a sprinter running 10.3, 10.4 and all of a sudden, he is not speaking to anybody because he is winning a couple of meets.

“Across the world, they should be humble. At some point, they will get to the end of this. Then what?”

Omanyala, who during the COVID-19 pandemic used to work as a manual laborer to make ends meet, has expressed the importance of staying humble upon making it, citing a post he once made on his social media accounts.

“We understand where we come from because for me, I have lived on a life of surviving on one dollar a day to a life where I can book a flight tomorrow and go wherever I want. I have lived those lives, so I know I do not want to go back where I came from. It is a painful life, so I have to stay grounded.

“We come from poor backgrounds and families and are not here to compete with anybody. We just want to change the storyline.”

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