Africa's fastest man, Kenya's Ferdinand Omanyala, is gearing up to challenge the world's best at the upcoming Paris Olympics. Holding the African record in the men's 100-meter sprint with a time of 9.77 seconds, set at the Kip Keino Classic in Nairobi in September 2021, Omanyala stands ninth globally.
Three years after his Olympic debut in Tokyo, where he reached the semifinals running a 10-second relay, Omanyala is excited about his second appearance in Paris. \"I'm excited about this one, because I'm getting in as a second fastest in the world this year and third in the world ranking, so that gives me an edge over the others,\" he told CGTN's Mohamed Abubakar.
Omanyala has revamped his training approach by changing his coach and pacing his season differently. \"When I changed my coach and the approach this season, we didn't want to pick too fast too early… we've changed that approach and I'm happy and positive that it's going to work,\" he added.
Joining Omanyala in the men's 100-meter race are fellow African sprinters Akani Simbine of South Africa and Letsile Tebogo of Botswana. Omanyala expressed admiration for Simbine, saying, \"I'm glad that I joined and found Simbine in the sport, I was looking up to him before I became who I was.\" He also looks forward to seeing Tebogo, last year's world silver medalist, compete.
Omanyala remains focused on each stage of the competition, stating, \"It'll be a blessing to have three Africans in the final but again we can't think about the final and we have not done even the heats. The most important thing is to get in there and we start on from the heats and get through the rounds.\"
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Africa's 'fastest man' Omanyala wants to challenge the best in Paris
cgtn.com
