Ferdinand Omanyala’s Sprints Club Lands at His Ex-School as He Widens Talent Development Initiative

Ferdinand Omanyala has launched a sprints club at his former school as he continues to nurture the next generation of Kenyan sprinters.

Omanyala has extended the Omanyala Sprints Club Friends' School Kamusinga in Bungoma County in what was part of his stable’s schools tour, an initiative aimed at taking sprint development closer to schools across Western Kenya and creating a structured pathway for young athletes.

Omanyala, who was at Friends School Kamusinga on Friday, had made stops in Eldoret and Elgeyo Marakwet as he continues to introduce the club to learning institutions and identify young talents with potential in the sprints.

His return to Kamusinga carried a special significance given his own journey. Interestingly, Omanyala did not compete in athletics while in high school, instead concentrating on rugby, where he played on the wing for the school’s Spartans team.

It was only later that he discovered and developed his potential in sprinting, eventually becoming Africa’s fastest man.

That journey is at the heart of the new initiative, with Omanyala hoping to ensure that talented students do not miss out simply because they have not yet identified the sport in which they can excel.

The Omanyala Sprints Club is therefore designed to provide early talent identification, structured coaching and a clear pathway for promising athletes to progress from school level to elite competition.

“We will identify them prior, from grade two onwards and in partnership with the school, we will sponsor the kids who will come to the school. They will be going through the system academically but we will be bringing coaches into the clubs to be training them during games time or morning hours,” said the former Commonwealth champion.

The programme is expected to give students access to structured coaching, talent identification, competition and mentorship while allowing them to pursue their education. It will also expose young athletes to proper sprinting techniques, strength and conditioning, injury prevention and competition preparation.

For Omanyala, the objective is not simply to identify fast runners, but to give them the structures and support required to turn raw ability into a sustainable sporting career.

“We came to launch the Omanyala Sprints Club in Friends School Kamusinga. We had a conversation when I was here in 2023, we just hadn’t gotten how to go about it but now we have it, so we have come back,” he added.

Omanyala also revealed plans to develop a proper track at the school, providing students with a dedicated facility where the club can establish its training programme.

The initiative will begin with recruitment, with students expected to be identified from an early age and eventually progress through the programme into secondary school.