Omurwa is just getting started but has already cast his sights on bettering his sibling’s achievements
Isaac Omurwa has his eyes set on breaking his elder brother Ferdinand Omanyala’s records in the near future.
The teenager is just getting started but has shown huge potential of being Kenya’s next 100m sensation, just like his bother Omanyala.
15:00 - 05.04.2023
ATHLETICS Omanyala's promise for the season as his outdoor tour kicks off in South Africa
His first race will be on April 12 at the Tuks Stadium.
Omurwa was on Friday named among 50 athletes for the Africa Under 18/20 Championships scheduled for later this month in Lusaka, Zambia after obliterating a strong field in the 100m to place first, and he will be Kenya’s sole representative over the distance in the Under-20 category.
The East Africa 100m junior champion, however, feels all these would not have been possible were it not for his brother’s guidance and wants to follow in his footsteps and do even better than him.
“He (Omanyala) has influenced me in many things, advising me, this track, not many can access it or the gym, so because of him, I can say he is giving me like 98 percent,” Omurwa said of his elder brother, while speaking to The Sports Moran.
14:45 - 08.04.2023
ATHLETICS Omanyala's brother part of Kenya's 50-strong squad for Africa U18/20 Championships
The championships are scheduled for later this month in Lusaka, Zambia.
“I think I can follow in his footsteps and break his records. I usually tell him that one day, I will run with him and defeat him in the same race and he is happy about that.”
Like Omanyala, Omurwa also started out as a rugby player while in school before the athletics bug bit him following his brother’s success.
The 18-year-old is an alumnus of Alliance High School and has competed in three races so far, the East Africa Under 18 Championships trials where he won after clocking 10.73 last month before winning the regional title in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, a few days later in a time of 10.72 as well as Friday’s race.
“I am trying to run a 10.05 or below, if I get that, I will focus on the World Under 20 Championships,” he added.
Following in Omanyala’s footsteps will not be easy, however, as he is currently Africa’s record holder after clocking 9.93 to win the 100m in Saint Pierre, Mauritius last year before he followed it up with a Commonwealth Games gold, having reaching the semi-finals of the World Championships.