The 2022 Commonwealth Games champion, Ferdinand Omanyala, is bullish about his chances of defending his crown at next year’s edition in Glasgow, Scotland.
Omanyala blazed to the 2022 title in Birmingham after stopping the clock in 10.02, fending off South Africa’s Akani Simbine, who clocked 10.13, while Sri Lanka’s Yupun Abeykoon stormed to bronze in 10.14.
He was also part of Kenya’s 4x100m relay squad alongside Mike Mokamba, Samwel Imeta and Dan Asamba, though the team suffered a DNF in the final.
England (38.35), Trinidad and Tobago (38.70) and Nigeria (38.81) stormed to the podium in that race.
With Glasgow firmly on his radar, Omanyala is oozing confidence about his title defence.
“I want to defend that title next year. I really want to get back that feeling of winning,” Omanyala told the Star. “I don’t want that crown to leave the country.”
The sprinter admits the memories of Birmingham are still vivid.
“I always remember that day I won the Commonwealth like it was yesterday,” he said.
Despite enduring a rough 2025 campaign, Omanyala insists his resilience will see him bounce back before the Commonwealth Games.
“It’s not my first time facing challenges; I have had them before,” he reflected. “It took me six years to run under 10 seconds. All that time, I was waking up early and going to the track, determined to make it work.”
Now, the African record holder says his mindset is sharper than ever.
“My main target is to push myself to the limit. That’s the mindset I’m carrying forward. I want to get better, work even harder, because as a professional athlete, I know my body, I know where to push and where not to,” he explained.
Part of his build-up strategy will include racing more frequently.
“Next year I’m going to do more races. This season, we cut back on some races, but I want to test myself more,” he said.
While Glasgow remains the immediate goal, Omanyala’s long-range sights are firmly set on the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
“That’s what we are building towards now, the 2028 Olympics. Three years is not a long time,” he declared.
For him, the ultimate ambition is a global medal, whether at the 2027 World Championships or in Los Angeles.
“The global medal is what I’m chasing now, because it has escaped me at the Olympics and World Championships."
"It won’t be easy, I know, but that’s my biggest target,” he said.
So far, the global stage has been cruel to Omanyala.
He has made two Olympic appearances but failed to sparkle in both.
At his maiden outing in Tokyo 2020, he bowed out in the semis in 10.00.
Italian Marcell Jacobs claimed the crown in 9.80 ahead of Fred Kerley (9.84) and Andre De Grasse (9.89).
At Paris 2024, Omanyala again fell at the semifinal stage after clocking 10.08.
American Noah Lyles clinched gold, Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson claimed silver, both in 9.79, with Kerley taking bronze in 9.81.
His World Championships record has also been underwhelming.
He missed the final in Eugene 2022 after posting 10.14 in the semis, and in Budapest 2023, he managed seventh in the final with 10.07.
At the just-concluded Tokyo edition, his campaign ended in the semis once again after clocking 10.09 to place fifth.
