Ferdinand Omanyala Confirms IShowSpeed Reached Out For a Head-to-Head Race: 'We Had a Contract'

Africa’s fastest man, Ferdinand Omanyala, has confirmed that IShowSpeed did actually reach out to him, perhaps through his management, about a potential head-to-head ahead of his visit to Kenya.

In a previous interview, Ferdinand Omanyala had revealed that he would only consider competing if there was financial backing involved, setting a minimum fee of $50,000.

This stance had led fans to question whether any contact between the two had actually taken place, something that he has since clarified. However, despite the communication, the race ultimately did not happen.

Ferdinand Omanyala explained that when discussions about the possible race began, he made it clear that he wanted a properly structured and meaningful challenge rather than a casual exhibition.

The Commonwealth Games champion said the idea, in his view, needed to involve clear stakes and a competitive framework that reflected a serious contest, not something informal or loosely organised.

He added that he was uncomfortable with the suggestion of staging the race in a public park in Nairobi, as he felt such a setting did not match the level of professionalism he expected.

Ferdinand Omanyala also revealed that formal arrangements had initially progressed to the point where paperwork was being prepared, but after reviewing the situation more closely, he felt the entire proposal lacked clarity and direction, leading him to believe the race was no longer worth pursuing.

“So when that conversation came up, I was like, if this guy can put it at the finish line, say, if I beat you, I'm winning this amount of money. If you beat me, I'm giving you this amount of money. That's the challenge I wanted,” Ferdinand Omanyala told journalist Stephen Ochieng.

“I didn't want to run in a park because we were going to run some park in Nairobi. Yeah, I mean, like it was, we had a contract that we were supposed to sign. But I was like, this thing is not making sense, man.”

Ferdinand Omanyala went on to stress that his career is built on professional competition rather than online content creation, explaining that his daily training environment is focused, private, and removed from publicity or entertainment.

He pointed out that the work he and his team put in happens quietly behind the scenes, without cameras or spectators, and is driven purely by performance goals.

Omanyala said it would be unreasonable to expect him to compete without compensation, noting that at his level, stepping onto the track in front of an audience normally comes with appearance fees.

Ferdinand Omanyala added that while he had raced without financial reward earlier in his career, he believes he has progressed beyond that stage and no longer views sport as a form of showmanship or free exhibition.

“I don't make my money out of streams, man. Like, you've been with me today in my session, you see how hard we work here. No filming, nothing, you know. We're just working behind the scenes. Nobody's sitting here,” he added.

“And the guy was like going from one place to another in 10 minutes. I'm a pro athlete. The minimum time I need to warm up is 45 minutes. So, what time will you warm up? You know, let me say, I get, I pull a muscle in that dress.

“This guy can go and stream still with the injury or something. But for me, I have a race in a month. How am I going back to my management and telling them, man, I got an injury because I was racing this guy and not even a sanctioned race. It was just a promotion, not even a promotional event. It was for his streams. You know, as that sounds really... The cons outweigh the pros.”

Ferdinand Omanyala added that he was upfront and transparent during the discussions, explaining that he carefully weighed what each side stood to gain from the proposed race.

He felt that the arrangement would largely benefit IShowSpeed in terms of exposure, while offering little tangible return for him as a professional athlete.

He questioned the real value of increased online followers, noting that visibility alone does not translate into direct financial or career benefits. Ultimately, he said the imbalance in potential gains made the idea impractical and reinforced his decision not to proceed.

“Nah, I put everything on the table. I was like, nah, I mean, the guy's going to gain, he's going to gain. And what about me? You know, I'm not being, even if I'm getting like a million followers, who are going to pay me for their million followers? So it didn't make sense to me,” he added.