Omanyala gears up for the season after intense four-month build-up

Africa’s fastest man, Ferdinand Omanyala, believes he is in peak shape for the 2025 season after four months of meticulous preparations.

Omanyala’s last race came at the Brussels Diamond League final on September 14, 2024, where he stormed to victory in a 100m promotional event, clocking 10.07 seconds With a well-earned break and rigorous training behind him, the 2022 Commonwealth Games 100m champion is ready to fire on all cylinders.

“The preparations have been long, four months have been good preparation and I feel like I am ready so we will see,” Omanyala said.

Omanyala launched his 2025 campaign at the Athletics Kenya (AK) track and field meeting in Thika over the weekend.

Running on a murram track, he breezed through the first-round heats, clocking 10.7 ahead of Tonny Wekesa (11.3) and Martin Kariuki (11.5).

He cranked up the pace in the semi-finals, posting 10.2 to dominate his heat, with Dennis Nyongesa (10.5) and Clinton Aluvi (10.7) trailing in second and third.

However, he opted out of the final, where Boniface Mweresa (10.1) edged out Dennis Mwai (10.2) and Omanyala’s younger brother, Isaac Omurwa (10.2), for the podium spots. For Omanyala, competing on the murram track was about reconnecting with his roots.

“I last competed like 10 years ago on a murram track so I just wanted to connect to my past because I have always wanted to come back and see how it feels 10 years later. Coming back here and connecting to my past feels good,” he noted.

Despite the nostalgic return, the surface presented its own set of challenges. “The murram track is not the best because when the wind blows, you get hit with some debris which is not ideal,” he stated.

Beyond personal goals, Omanyala’s presence in Thika was a statement of encouragement to up-and-coming sprinters.

“I was not competing because of any competition or because of any targets, I was there to tell other athletes we are together.”

“I understand the struggles with limited stadiums, but we all have to start somewhere,” he noted. Currently Kenya’s two main athletics venues—Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani and Nyayo Stadium— remain closed for renovations, limiting elite training and competition facilities.

As the World Indoor Championships (March 21 – 23, Nanjing, China) approach, Omanyala is yet to decide on his participation.

“The World Indoors is coming in three weeks so we are weighing our options.” At last year’s edition in Glasgow, Scotland, Omanyala clocked 6.56 seconds to finish fourth in the 60m final, behind Christian Coleman (6.41), Noah Lyles (6.44) and Ackeem Blake (6.46).

Having already met the 10 seconds entry mark for the Tokyo World Championships with a 9.88 second place finish in Silesia last year, Omanyala will be hoping to fine tune his craft ahead of the showdown in the Japanese capital.