The really solidly built Kenyan Ferdinand Omanyala changed rugby to sprinting.
Ferdinand Omanyala’s 100m record of 9.77 is the ninth best of all time in the world. Usain Bolt’s ME is 9.58. ZumaWire / MVPHOTOS
Kenyan Ferdinand Omanyan, 27, the story is confusing. He changed rugby to the 100-meter sprint in 2016, came off anabolic steroids a year later, received a 14-month suspension, made a comeback, played in Finland in the summer of 2021, until he hit some wild times on the board.
– Whenever I run hard times, people bring up the issue of 2017. It offends me, Omanyala told the BBC.
He said the pain was caused by the wrong painkiller.
– I felt like a victim of circumstances, Omanyala explained to the BBC.
– Punishment gave me endurance and made me stronger. It’s a challenge that no athlete would want to go through. The lesson of my case is that you shouldn’t take anything for granted and you shouldn’t trust anyone, he added.
According to the official explanation, the medicine was given to the runner by the coach Duncan Ayiemba. He got two years of cake.
– In Finland, the first thing to say is doping, doping, doping. Since then, Oman has been under quite strict surveillance. I wouldn’t judge current results based on what has happened in history, comments Iltalehti’s athletics expert Arto Bryggare.
A bundle of muscle
Omanyala won 100m gold at the African Championships and British Commonwealth Championships last season. EPA / AOP
Omanyala is a muscular man with a tank-like body, i.e. a less typical Kenyan runner.
– Kenya is a cool country because it has a seashore and a high place. At the seaside, evolution goes differently than at high altitude. Omanya belongs to the seaside group. He has tremendous explosive strength qualities.
It has been said that a 175-centimeter and about 90-kilogram man is too muscular for his sport.
– When you get results like that, you’re not too muscular. In sprinting, there must be power and all power must be directed forward. The grips on the ankles, knees, pelvic area and shoulders must be strong, Bryggare analyzed.
– In events like prize races, when there are four starts in a short period of time, he can have challenges in recovering, the expert adds.
After her doping suspension in the 2019 season, Omanyala clocked 10.47 at her best. Due to the corona, the summer of 2020 shrunk to a stubble season in athletics. In August 2021, the Kenyan competed in the Lahti GP event and the Oulu Games. The times were 10.09 and 10.06. In September 2021, in Nairobi, a man rushed his record 9.77.
All three of Omanyala’s career bests of 9.77, 9.84 and 9.85 have been run at the same stadium in Nairobi in the 2021-23 Kip Keino competitions.
– It’s warm in Nairobi and we run 1,700 meters above sea level. Air resistance is lower there. I don’t think there are technical impurities in the timing or wind measurements.
Last season, Omanyala’s results declined after the Nairobi race in May.
Eugene’s World Cup gig went wrong due to visa issues, as the man arrived at the competition venue only a couple of hours before his first start.
Gold in binoculars
USA’s Fred Kerley is the reigning world champion in the men’s 100m sprint. He automatically qualifies for the summer World Championships in Budapest. ZumaWire / MVPHOTOS
Omanyala has set her goal this season to be under 9.70 and the World Championship gold in Budapest.
– I don’t consider him a favorite when it’s the opposite Fred Kerley and three other Yankees. But with his goal, he can keep the World Championship gold, and the victory would not be a significant surprise, Bryggare estimates.
On Sunday evening, the Kenyan competed in the Rabat Diamond League and was third (10.05). Kerley won (9.94).
– Kerley was really focused, but Kenya’s Veikko hesitated a bit. He couldn’t let go and started flicking his pages – it’s as junior a thing as I can be. Poor performance from such a tough guy.
South Africa wedged between the two Akani Simbine (9.99).
– When the start went to his cheek, he didn’t know how to correct the position. Kerley came a step past with ease. It is a worrying situation for Kenyans with the World Cup in mind. The Kenyan man has a tough start, but those who have a tough finish will do well in the World Cup.