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The experienced sprints trainer identified one thing that the African champion needs to work on before the global event
Ferdinand Omanyala’s former coach Stephen Mwaniki believes the African 100m champion is a medal prospect at the World Championships this year if he can work on his top end speed.
Omanyala has had a good start to the season, winning the ASA Grand Prix in South Africa in 10.12 before lowering his time to 10.05 a week later, and followed it up with a wind-assisted 9.87 at the Botswana Golden Grand Prix.
Having watched Omanyala break the African 150m record by running 14.98 to finish third at the Atlanta City Games last weekend, Mwaniki, who worked with the Commonwealth champion when he was starting his sprints career, feels just a few things remain before he can become the first African athlete to win 100m medal at the Worlds.
“Ferdinand is coming up very well this year and I tend to think that we’re going to see a podium finish during the World Championship in Budapest, Hungary,” Mwaniki told Pulse Sports.
“The only thing that he needs to work on is top end speed. By that I mean, running more than 100m and during the Atlanta event, he was able to lead the first 30m.
“The last 20m is when Noah Lyles came and overtook him but that was a great show because he was able to break the African record of 14.99 in 150m. I can predict that this year is when he is going to do 100m in 9.60 because he has done 9.7, now we’re looking for 9.6.”
The veteran sprints coach also explained why the decision to go for the 150m in Atlanta was well informed from Omanyala and his camp.
“150m helps him build his speed endurance. You have to be fast in a longer distance to be fastest in shorter distance, that is how it goes. So, to be able to run a greater time in 100m, he has to build his top end speed,” he added.
Omanyala nearly missed last year’s World Championships in Eugene, Oregon, arriving just hours to the start of his race, due to a visa hitch, to fail to make the final and Mwaniki feels he will be seeking to right those wrongs this year.
“He can upset the big boys, he is proving that he is a man on his own and we still believe that this is revenge mission. What happened last year, the delay of visa and all these things and he arrived two hours before the event in Oregon, this is a revenge year for him,” the coach said.
“He has already made history by winning the Commonwealth Games after a long time because we won it in 1960s and after a long period, we are back into the big leagues (World Championships) and we believe that Omanyala is the man to do it.”
Omanyala is gearing up for this year’s Kip Keino Classic in Nairobi where he hopes to lower his African record of 9.77.
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