"Wrapping it up ranked the 2nd fastest man in the world"- Ferdinand Omanyala reflects on his 2024 season after final race in Brussels

Ferdinand Omanyala concluded his 2024 season after winning the gold medal in the men's 100m invitational at the Brussels Diamond League. The Kenyan athlete reflected on his performances in the Olympic year, which was one of the most successful seasons of his career.

Ferdinand Omanyala began his season in early 2024 and made his first major appearance in the World Athletics Indoor Championships held in Glasgow. He placed fourth in the event finishing behind Noah Lyles, Christian Coleman, and Ackeem Blake with a performance of 6.552s.

He then marched on to the World Athletics Relays and competed in the men's 4x100m where his team finished fourth in the finals. The highlight of Omanyala's 2024 season came in June at the Kenyan Olympic trials. He dominated the line-up and clocked the second fastest 100m of 2024 with a time of 9.79s, securing his spot in the Kenyan Olympic team to Paris.

Ferdinand Omanyala failed to qualify for the finals of the men's 100m at the Paris Olympics after finishing eighth in the semi-finals with a performance of 10.08s. Despite the setback, he made back-to-back appearances in the Diamond League events after the Paris Olympics and ultimately concluded his season with a win in the 100m invitational in Brussels.

He took to X to reflect on his 2024 season and thanked his family, coaches as well as fans for their unwavering support throughout the year.

"What a season it's been, wrapping it up ranked the 2nd fastest man in the world with a time of 9.79 – a testament to the hard work, dedication, and resilience we put in day in and day out. I couldn’t have done it without the support of my family, my coach, my manager, my sponsors, and all the fans. Let’s keep chasing greatness! #ASeasonOfFaith#chasingdreams#godsplan," he wrote.

Ferdinand Omanyala on changes needed in Africa to excel in Track and Field

Commonwealth Games - Birmingham 2022. - Source: Getty

Ferdinand Omanyala spoke about the changes Africa needs to inculcate to excel in track and field. He stressed the importance of having adequate infrastructure for training as well as hosting major events like the Diamond League or the World Championships in the continent to have more exposure to the sport among the youth.

In an interview with NBC Sports, he said:

"We still haven’t hosted a world championship in athletics so we need to start there. We haven’t even had one Diamond League race in Africa. We need to step up. At the indoor championships, we realized Africa doesn’t have any indoor track. So, it’s very difficult for us to compete at that kind of level without all those facilities."

"For Kenya, we need to first host a world championship and once we do that then we can try to host an Olympic Games. We still have a long way to go, but I believe we can get there," he added.

Being the fastest man in Africa and having experienced the talent across the continent, Omanyala believes that if all the necessities are provided, Africa can truly excel in track and field.