"If Ferdinand Omanyala did it, then we can do it"- African record holder recounts his accomplishments, believes they will inspire young generation

Ferdinand Omanyala shared that he wants to set an example to the younger generation of African athletes by running faster times and bagging more achievements. Omayala is the fastest 100m man in Africa with a record of 9.77s, which he earned at the 2021 Absa Kip Keino Classic in Nairobi.

Omanyala, the 60m, 100m, and 200m specialist, ran the 100m in 10.00s at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics semi-final race. However, his third-place finish behind Fred Kerley and Andre de Grasse didn't help him qualify for the final roster.

Fast forward to now, the Kenyan 100m National record holder clocked 9.79s, a world-leading time, to finish on top at the 2024 Kenya Athletics Olympics Trials.

Ferdinand Omanyala has booked his second trip to the Olympics, slated to face off against the likes of US standout, Noah Lyles. But the African icon has a bigger reason to run at capacity at the Olympics. He is pleased with the "fastest man in Africa" honor but he aims to drive a whole generation of African athletes.

"I’m very happy and proud to be the fastest man in Africa out of a population of about 1 billion, but I still want to achieve more. I still want to run fast times. But I’m proud. I love that it is going to inspire generations to come and inspire so much young talent in Africa that if Omanyala did it, then we can do it," he shared. (via NBC Sports)

At the 2024 Meeting de Paris, Ferdinand Omayala ran the 60m in a personal best time of 6.51s. He ran a few other 200m and 400m races to build up to the Olympics.

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Ferdinand Omanyala - "I want a situation where we’ll have 4 or 5 sprinters dipping under 10 seconds"

Athletics - Commonwealth Games Day 5

The Olympian has a clear idea of what he expects from the upcoming athletes hailing from Kenya. Ferdinand Omanyala wishes all the athletes going sub-10s in the 100m on the highly contentious track.

"I don’t want to have a situation where we’re having trials and then we all know who’s going to win, [where people say] ‘Omanyala’s going to win this.’ I don’t want that. I want a situation where we’ll have 4 or 5 sprinters dipping under 10 seconds. I want that kind of competition in this country," Omanyala said. (via NBC Sports)

Ferdinand Omanyala will face his 100m rivals in the Men's 100m Preliminary Round on August 3 at the 2024 Paris Olympics. He will then move on to Round 1 on qualification, also slated for August 3.