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Omanyala targets redemption at ASA Grand Prix

Ferdinand Omanyala

Ferdinand Omanyala of Kenya celebrates after winning heat 2 in the 100m Men Round 1 at the Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France  on August 03, 2024

Photo credit: Joan Preruan | Nation Media Group

By  Ayumba Ayodi

Correspondent

NMG Sport

What you need to know:

  • Before heading to Budapest, Omanyala had made history as the first Kenyan to win a 100m race at the Diamond League, claiming victory in Monaco.
  • Now, with the 2025 season underway, Omanyala is determined to regain his top form and make a statement on the global stage.

Despite the wintry conditions, Africa’s fastest man, Ferdinand Omanyala, is hopeful for a strong performance at the Athletics South Africa (ASA) Athletics Grand Prix II on Wednesday at the University of Johannesburg.

This will be Omanyala’s second and final race on his South African tour before he returns to Kenya to prepare for the Botswana Golden Grand Prix, a World Athletics Continental Gold Tour event scheduled for April 12 at the National Stadium in Gaborone.

The 29-year-old sprinter had a tough start to his 2025 international season, finishing third in 10.22 seconds at the ASA Athletics Grand Prix I at Pilditch Stadium, Pretoria, last Wednesday.

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He was beaten by 18-year-old Karabo Letebele, who clocked 10.19 seconds, narrowly edging out fellow South African Emile Erasmus in a photo finish.

“The weather has turned a bit cold to offer good sprinting conditions, but there is a nice lineup tomorrow, and Omanyala is looking forward to making the most of it,” said his manager, Marcel Viljoen.

Omanyala was unable to defend his Botswana Golden Grand Prix title last year after the event was canceled by a high court ruling in Botswana’s capital, Gaborone.

However, in 2023, he had claimed victory over home athlete and 2024 Paris Olympic Games 200m champion Letsile Tebogo, winning in 9.78 seconds against Tebogo’s 9.91.

On Wednesday, Omanyala will go head-to-head with his compatriot, former national champion and record holder Mark Otieno, who finished fourth at the ASA Athletics Grand Prix I in 10.30 seconds.

The Kenyan sprint star, who skipped the World Indoor Tour for the first time in three years, opened his season at the second Athletics Kenya Track and Field event in Thika nearly three weeks ago.

In the hand-timed murram track event, he clocked 10.07 in the heats and 10.02 in the semi-finals but skipped the final, where his brother Isaac Omurwa emerged victorious in 10.02.

Omanyala has been using social media to stay motivated as he pushes through the season.

“Hope is an attitude evolving out of the inner faith in the heart,” he posted on his Facebook page.

He has already secured qualification for the World Athletics Championships, set to take place from September 13 to 21 in Tokyo, Japan.

Reflecting on past disappointments, Omanyala previously admitted that failing to medal at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games and the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary, was a humbling experience.

Omanyala had been a strong contender for the 100m title in Budapest but finished a disappointing seventh in a race won by American Noah Lyles. His struggles continued at the Paris Olympics, where he surprisingly failed to reach the final, finishing eighth in his semi-final heat.

Before heading to Budapest, Omanyala had made history as the first Kenyan to win a 100m race at the Diamond League, claiming victory in Monaco.

Now, with the 2025 season underway, Omanyala is determined to regain his top form and make a statement on the global stage.