Former AFC Leopards coach picks out Omanyala’s weakness

Omanyala missed beating his own record by 0.01 seconds at the Botswana Grand Prix. IMAGO

ATHLETICS Former AFC Leopards coach picks out Omanyala’s weakness

Kiplagat Sang 15:21 - 10.06.2023

The tactician's comment comes after the sprinter came second in the Paris Diamond League.

Former AFC Leopards assistant coach Francis Xavier has advised Ferdinard Omanyala to work on his take-off.

The Kenyan sprint sensation came second behind world champion Noah Lyles by a hundredth of a second at the Paris Diamond League on Friday night after running for 9.98 seconds, while Lyles' time was 9.97 in the 100 meters for men.

After coming in second, Xavier congratulated Omanyala but told him what he must do in order to win.

"Omanyala, congratulations, but he must work on his take-off," the former Vihiga United coach said in a social media post.

Omanyala led until the 70-meter mark before Lyle’s fast acceleration in the remaining 30 meters saw the American win the race.

Omanyala – who specializes in the 100m and 200m races - is fast establishing himself as a sensational sprinter. He is the Commonwealth Games and the African champion.

The 27-year-old was the first Kenyan to deliver a gold medal in the sprint category at the Commonwealth Games and is the current African 100m record holder.

The undergraduate Bachelor of Science in Chemistry student is this season's fastest man with 9.84 seconds clocked at the Kip Keino Classic that was held in Nairobi last month.

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