Ahead of the third edition of the Kip Keino Classic, Africa's fastest man Ferdinand Omanyala believes he is the outright favourite for the men's 100m at Moi Stadium, Kasarani this afternoon.
Omanyala will be hoping to exploit the home advantage to excel over Olympic 100m champion Lamont Marcell Jacobs and silver medalist Fred Kerley.
"As I said before, tomorrow's (today) race is all about execution. If it goes well, how does 9.60 sound? The best guy will win and I believe I am the best guy here. Let's not forget that Kasarani is my home turf and this is my hometown," Omanyala said.
The Kitale-born sensation will be hoping for better fortunes than last year's edition at the same stadium when he clocked 9.77 to break Akani Simbine's previous African record of 9.84.
Omanyala said that incredible feat is in the past and is looking forward to adding more feathers to his cap at Kasarani on Saturday afternoon.
"That is now in the past...I am no longer thinking about 9.77 anymore. I am thinking of another milestone tomorrow so as to inspire young kids so that many more sprints talents can come up," he said.
The national 100m record holder added: "There's not much pressure because I am doing what I love. You can't put pressure on yourself because if you do, then you are done."
His rivals, Kerley and Jacobs, on the other hand, adopted a wait-and-see approach when quizzed about their expectations for the race.
Kerley, who clocked a personal best of 19.76 in the men's 200m, at last year's edition said the Kip Keino Classic is an apt opportunity to gain some momentum before the World Championship in Oregon.
"I started my 100m season a bit late so for me, it is all about getting sharper as the season goes. Kenya is nice to me. This is my second time here...I ended my season strongly here and now I want to start the new one in a similar fashion ," the American said.
His Italian counterpart also echoed his sentiments, underlining the importance of a world title to his medal collection.
"The most important thing is to achieve top shape before the World Championship. I don't feel pressure ahead of today's competition," Jacobs, also the World Indoor 60m champion, said.
The trio spoke during a media session at the Safari Park Hotel on Friday afternoon.
Also expected to feature in the sprints battle is Olympic 200m silver medallist Kenneth Bednarek of the United States.
