Kenyan sprinters are currently asserting authority on the international front at their whim.
Ferdinand Omanyala's masterstroke performances in a series of global events attest to the huge potential the country possesses to turn into a sprints powerhouse.
From shattering the African record to bagging the gold medal at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, Omanyala has opened a new chapter for Kenya in the short races, hitherto considered to be the preserve of American athletes.
Gladly, a host of gifted Kenyan sprinters are following closely in the footsteps of the local sprints sensation who has already become a household name and a major force to reckon with.
One of them is none other than Samwel Imeta who stunned the world with an impressive show in South Africa on Wednesday.
Imeta glided to a second-place finish at the Athletics South Africa Grand Prix meeting in Gauteng, clocking 10.22secs behind compatriot Ferdinand Omanyala who breasted the tape in 10.05secs.
At only 24, Imeta is already carving his path to stardom. Born on July 26, 1998, the fleet-footed soldier spent his formative years in Kanduyi, Bungoma County.
He attended Bungoma D.E.B primary school where he sat for the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) in 2014.
Circumstances, however, forced him to attend two different high schools. Upon completing his primary education, Imeta was offered a chance to join Milo Boys High School, where he studied for two years before proceeding to Bungoma High School, where he did his final examination in 2018.
"I started my high school at Milo Boys but got poached by Bungoma High School to play rugby for them. So, I moved there in Form Two."
Imeta is the third born in a family of six— two brothers and three sisters.
Despite his sublime performance down South on Wednesday, Imeta reckons he can only find peace within his soul if manages to clock a sub-10 which has proved elusive thus far.
"I feel good for that number two and improving on the last game, but still, I'm pushing forward to qualify for the World Championship in Budapest. I'm targeting a Sub-10.
"My immediate focus is the Kip Keino Classic. Kipkeino Classic will be full of fireworks. My target is to improve my personal best time," Imeta said.
Even though he and fellow countryman Omanyala are constantly competing, Imeta hardly sees his talented teammate as a foe.
He claims there has never been a time when he felt the need to overthrow Omanyala and win the national championship for himself.
"I've never practiced with a specific opponent in mind. I'm constantly trying to beat the 9.58-second world record. Omanyala and I are both advocating for this "said Imeta.
Imeta revealed that although his brain was originally wired to pursue a rugby career, as luck would have it, he ran into a man who encouraged him to pursue a career in athletics.
"When I was still in seventh and eighth grade, I began running. When I started high school, I had the thought of switching to rugby. After a brief hiatus, I returned to Forms Three and Four and lost interest in athletics.
"I committed to playing rugby professionally for four excellent years before switching to athletics. Immediately following high school graduation, I enrolled in the Nakuru Top Fry Rugby Club. In high school, I played rugby for four years and two months with a club.
"His decision to transition to athletics came in 2018 when he ran away with the title at the Kenya Secondary Schools Sports Association national finals in Embu.
"In Embu, I came across a certain man called Omoro who was a coach at the Kenya Defence Forces then. He convinced me to join athletics and I eventually joined the army too. So after high school, he took me to a training camp and now that's how my journey in athletics took off.
"Imeta attributed his meteoric rise to the undying support he received from his parents who equally displayed immense potential in athletics in their youth.
"My mother, Sarah, and my father Ludovico were both great runners and won honours in school games. They always encouraged me to pursue my passion for sports," Imeta said.
"Each day after I had performed well in both rugby and athletics, they would encourage me to push on."
Imeta's star in the sprints began to sparkle when he made the men’s 4x100m gold-medal winning team in Mauritius in 2022.
However, he reminisces about the sublime performance of Kenya's 4×100 relay team at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, singling this outing as the highest point in his career thus far.
He ran a time of 10.12 at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games to advance from heat nine of the men’s 100m race.
He did, however, suffer a significant setback when Kenya’s 4x100m relay team made a mistake and was unable to complete the finals race.
Kenya’s chances of earning a podium slot were entirely dashed following a mixup in handing over the baton between two Kenyan athletes.
Omanyala, who was about to dash electrically to the finish line, was left on the track watching helplessly after the howler that denied him another opportunity to shine.
The England team won the race in 38.35. Trinidad and Tobago came in second with a season-best time of 38.70 while Nigeria finished third at 38.81.
Imeta reckons he has sufficiently honed his act to deliver a vintage performance at the upcoming World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary.
The 24-year-old Kenya Defence Forces officer said he drew great inspiration from his classic execution at the second AK track and field meeting held at Nyayo Stadium on February 26.
Imeta blazed to a phenomenal second-place finish in the event’s blistering final, clocking an impressive 9.94 to wrap up 0.13 seconds behind Commonwealth Games champion Ferdinand Omanyala.
Both athletes exceeded the 10.00 threshold established by World Athletics in August 2022 for the 2023 World Athletics Championships.
However, the global governing body failed to approve the time recorded by either athlete, blaming a malfunction with the wind measurement apparatus at Nyayo Stadium.
WA asserted that the times set by Omanyala and Imeta could not fairly be expected given the recorded headwind of -4.8m/s.
Imeta said he is not going to let this setback deter him from registering a masterstroke performance in Budapest.
“I’m so excited to have managed an improved personal best. I thank God, my coaches, and my training mates for their contribution to the outstanding performance,” Imeta said.
The career soldier from Mabanga in Bungoma county said training alongside Commonwealth Games champion, Omanyala has catapulted him to new heights.
He has issued a warning to the sprint star, telling him to prepare for an abrasive duel in their next encounter.
“I was thrilled with the race’s result. Competing against an athlete of Omanyala’s calibre who holds the African record and is the Commonwealth champion wasn’t going to be simple.
“I am now fired up and Omanyala will have to work hard to beat me when we meet again,” Imeta remarked.
With the future of Kenyan sprinters looking bright, Imeta has an invaluable piece of advice for budding Kenyan athletes who want to specialize in sprints.
"It's possible to achieve their dreams if they have the discipline and consistency in training.
"And just how does he spend his free time away from work and track? "I hang out with friends besides watching movies."
