Local hero Omanyala targets Absa Kip Keino Classic three-peat on Saturday
Kenyan star seeks to add another crown to his 2022 and 2023 victories in the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold Series meeting
NAIROBI, Kenya, May 27- Local sprint hero, Ferdinand Omanyala, is gunning for an Absa Kip Keino Classic three-peat when he lines up in front of his adoring public on Saturday (May 31) for the sixth running of this year’s World Athletics Continental Tour Gold series.
The 2022 and 2023 Kip Keino champion wrote his name into the men’s 100m top 10 all-time list when he blasted to the African record of 9.77 at the 2021 edition, but on that occasion, he played bridesmaid to American Trayvon Bromell (9.76).
Since then, Omanyala has continued to make history as the first Kenyan sprinter in the short dash to win two African and a Commonwealth Games title... and he comes to his favourite home race on the back of a silver performance at the fourth Wanda Diamond League meeting of the season in Rabat, Morocco last weekend.
The 2022 Commonwealth champion clocked 10.05 seconds, finishing behind Olympic silver medallist Akani Simbine of South Africa (9.95).
The pair beat American former world champion Fred Kerley (10.07) to third in his first race since he was arrested in his homeland for assault earlier this month.
Fantastic atmosphere
“The race was very good and I’m happy to have finished second. However, I still need to improve to get better results. My next race will be in Kenya, and I’ll try to do better than I did here.
“This is my second time in Rabat, and each time the atmosphere is fantastic. I really enjoyed the cheering crowd, and I’ll definitely come back again,” said Omanyala.
The Absa Kip Keino Classic holds a special place in the heart of the four-time national champion, who attributes much of his growth and success to the annual event.
“Kip Keino Classic is a very important race for me, and I’ll never want to miss it while I’m still an active 100-meter athlete.
“We've grown together, and the event has helped profile me to the top. People come to Kenya specifically to compete against me. I invite the world to come, and they do. I’m glad,” he added.
Among his fondest memories of the Absa Kip Keino Classic is setting the African record in 2021.
His silver medal was even more special after out-sprinting modern American great and Athens 2004 champion; Justin Gatlin (10:03) to third.
It was the first time for a Kenyan to outclass a revered athlete from the land of sprinting power.
Building on that momentum, Omanyala stormed to victory in the 2022 Absa Kip Keino Classic in 9.85 seconds, defeating Kerley— the Tokyo 2022 Olympic silver medallist and three-time world champion.
And with that, his hoodoo over the fancied Americans was over.
“Breaking that African record when I least expected it was amazing. Kip Keino really boosted my confidence, especially after beating top sprinters like Fred Kerley and Justin Gatlin.
"It’s a rare opportunity for Kenyan sprinters—and fans—to witness such elite competition on home soil and to see one of their own beating them.
“That moment inspired many local sprinters and gave them confidence. I’m happy it paid off, and now we even have a team lined up for the 4x100m relay at the World Championships in Tokyo later in September,” the 29-year-old sprinter recounts.
Different Distances
The father of two will be taking a break after the the sixth running of this year’s Continental Gold Tour.
However, he has already participated in a few competitions this season, including a 150m dash during the Adidas Atlanta Games in the USA, to test his speed endurance.
Omanyala underlined: “We ran the 150m because we’d already done a few 100m races. We thought it would be good to try something different.
“Since we’re planning to run a few 200m races later in the year, the 150m was a great middle distance to assess where the body is and how to peak and balance performance across different distances.”
He is now looking forward to an exciting 100m showdown at the Kip Keino Classic, where he is seeded against a strong field including Paris Olympic 4x100m silver medallists Bayanda Walaza and Shaun Maswanganyi (South Africa), Claude Itoungue (Cameroon), Kennedy Luchem (Australia), Elijah Hall (USA), and another home favourite, Mark Otieno.
-By Charity Wanja | Freelance Journalist
-Photo: File/Kip Keino Classic
