It has been 20 months since African record holder over 100 metres, Ferdinand Omanyala, registered a sub-10 seconds performance.
Omanyala has been the world’s fastest athlete over 100m on three occasions; in 2022 when he clocked 10.00 at the Athletics Kenya Track and Field Meeting held at Nyayo National Stadium, in 2023 during the Kip Keino Classic when he timed 9.84 at Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani, and in 2024 when he clocked 9.79 at the Kenyan trials for the 2024 Olympic Games.
From a high of having the world’s leading time over 100m, the Kenyan runner has slipped down to 58th place in World Athletics ranking.
He last ran the 100m in less than 10 seconds at Silesia Diamond League on August 25, 2024 in Poland, where he clocked 9.88 for second place. Omanyala has struggled with both form and injury, and parted ways with his coach Geoffrey Kimani in September 2025 to reunite with his first coach Duncan Ayiemba.
On 18 different occasions, the 30-year-old 2022 Commonwealth Games 100m champion has run the 100m under 10 seconds since his memorable maiden appearance at the Kip Keino Classic on September 18, 2021. Competing under wind resistance of +1.2, Omanyala finished second in 9.77 behind American Trayvon Bromell, who ran the fastest time on African soil of 9.76. Omanyala broke Akani Simbine’s African record time of 9.84 which the South African runner had registered in his victory at Hungarian Athletics Grand Prix on July 5, 2021. Bromell and Omanyala’s times still rank among the top 10 of all time.
Kenya's Ferdinand Omanyala (centre) finishes first ahead of South Africa's Akani Simbine (left) and Sri Lanka's Yupun Abeykoon during the Birmingham Commonwealth Games men's 100m final at the Alexander Stadium on August 3, 2022.
Photo credit: File | AFP
Omanyala then competed at the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene, the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, as well as the 2025 World Athletics Championships, but medals eluded him. But there were a few positives at these championships.
He defied visa challenges and travel disruptions to reach 100m semi-finals in 2022 in Eugene, and went on to wrestle the Commonwealth Games 100m title from Simbine in 2022 in Birmingham. He became the first Kenyan to reach the Olympics semi-finals in 2024 in Tokyo.
In 2025, he withdrew from 100m final in Diamond League final on August 28 in Zurich through injury.
After returning from 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest where he finished seventh in the final, Omanyala parted ways with coach Ayiemba and engaged former sprinter Geoffrey Kimani. But after lukewarm performances at the 2024 Olympics, and at the 2025 World Athletics Championships with Kimani, Omanyala reunited with Ayiemba , his first coach since the 2015/2016 season.
As the clock ticks towards his defence of the Commonwealth Games title in Glasgow from July 17, Omanyala is under pressure to reinvent himself over the next two weeks, starting with Addis Ababa Grand Prix in Ethiopia on Saturday, and the Kip Keino Classic on April 24 in Nairobi. He hopes to dip under 10 seconds at the inaugural World Athletics Continental Bronze Tour Addis Ababa Grand Prix on Saturday, April 18, 2025, and at the World Athletics Continental Gold Tour Kip Keino Classic on April 24 at the fast course at Nyayo National Stadium.
“I am through with cookery now. The food is ready, and it’s time to serve it… just come with a huge appetite,” Omanyala told Nation Sport on Friday.
“I am coming (to Addis Ababa and Nairobi) with speed and not IShowSpeed to the party,” he added.
Omanyala declined to race against IShowSpeed (Darren Jason Watkins Jr.) when the American YouTube streamer toured Kenya in January this year. Omanyala has been training in Stellenbosch, South Africa since competing at the Lefika International Relays on March 28 at the National Stadium in Gaborone, Botswana. He anchored Kenya’s 4x100m mixed relays team in qualifying for the 2026 World Athletics Relay Championships in Gaborone, where he clocked 41.70 seconds as Kenya finished second behind winners Nigeria (41.44).
Lefika Relays was a dry run for 2026 World Athletics Relay Championships scheduled for May 2 to 3 in Gaborone.
Omanyala competed in his first 100m outdoor race this season at Cape Miller Continental Tour on April 10 at Hoërskool Stadium in Stellenbosch, winning in 10.19.
Ferdinand Omanyala of Kenya competes in the 100m during the Absa Kip Keino Classic on May 31, 2025, at Ulinzi Sports Complex.
Photo credit: Chris Omollo | Nation Media Group
“It was my first race of the season and it was more about perfecting my execution. I am feeling good. People will really enjoy Addis and Kip Keino big time…can’t wait to take to the blocks,” said Omanyala.
Omanyala said he is excited to compete in Kip Keino Classic which will be held for the first time under floodlights in Nairobi .
“It could be late in the evening in Europe, but the sun is usually up compared to racing in Nairobi, which could be chilly. However, a packed arena will make it warmer,” Omanyala said on Friday.
He did not compete in the inaugural 2020 Kip Keino Classic that was staged at the Nyayo National Stadium.
This season, Omanyala competed in the World Indoor Tour this season for the first time since March 2024.
“I didn’t perform well in the indoor tour because I was returning from an injury. I competed based on how my body was feeling at the time, but all is well now,” said Omanyala, who also holds the Africa 150m record of 14.70.
Omanyala disclosed that withdrawing from the 2025 Diamond League final due to injury, and failing to record a sub-10 seconds performance for the first time in a season were some of his lowest moments of the 2025 season.
