ATHLETICS Laventa Amutavi opens up on her childhood, doing life with Ferdinand Omanyala & chasing history

In a sit down with Pulse Sports, Laventa Amutavi opened up about her childhood memories, doing life with Ferdinand Omanyala and how she wants to make history in athletics.

Laventa Amutavi, the wife to Africa’s fastest man Ferdinand Omanyala, is a woman on a mission owing to her life journey from a village girl in Western Kenya to building her legacy.

Amutavi was born in Kaimosi, Vihiga County and in a sit down with Pulse Sports, she explains how her life was while growing up. 

She did not encounter any challenges since she was the second last born in her family and from the look of things, she was her dad’s favourite.

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“Growing up, my dad used to work in Nairobi as a tour guide, and at the time, that was a big job and we used to stay in Eastleigh," Amutavi told Pulse Sports.

“My dad would drive the company car coming back home and we would always be happy to welcome him. When he retired, we moved back to the village and life continued as usual…I must admit that I was raised in a middle-class family."

Coming from a large family, Amutavi noted that most of her siblings were older and she would bond with their children instead.

Amutavi went to two primary schools, starting from Kaimosi Junior before transferring to Erusi Girls in class seven, and finally sitting for her final exam there.

“I was an average student and I managed to score 336 marks in my final exam. I was called to Vokoli Girls High School but I already had a preformed bias towards the school and I refused to go there. I went to Kaimosi Girls and finished my High School and then later on joined Moi University," she added.

However, her High School journey was not a walk in the park since it was at the time that she lost her father. In the beginning, she admitted that her father’s loss seemed like a story but after some time, the reality started sinking in.

“When I was in my fourth form, my dad passed away and at the time he died, we had not had a very close relationship because we were many and he was a bit older," remembers Amutavi.

“I had a lot of emotions at the time, questioning why those things had to happen. I first received the news from my classmate who had gone to the hospital for treatment and she learnt of the news.

“I cried a lot at the time but no one from home had approached me about the issue and I started living life normally since no teacher was talking about it."

After finishing her High School education, Amutavi tried modelling and did pretty well for a beginner. She was underage by then and so did not manage to get past some levels due to the lack of necessary documents.

After he father’s death, things were not a smooth but they somehow managed to get over the challenges of family feuds. She says her half-siblings came through for her during her high school days but when her father passed away, it was like everyone was on their own.

“When I was about to go to campus, my mum did a fundraising to help me secure the funds and that was when I started feeling like something was amiss,” she added.

While at Moi University, she had to learn the ropes of survival since her mother was not able to sustain her fully. She got side hustles like dancing gigs and ventured into small businesses like selling clothes and blending juices.

During long holidays, Amutavi would search for jobs, and among the many things that she did was to work as a secretary for an MCA and also as a cashier at a supermarket.

Meeting Omanyala & motherhood 

During her campus days, Amutavi started competing, and due to her prowess in the sport where she would win most races, she got a chance to compete at the 2017 World University Games, her first international trip.

However, she admits that she did not perform because of the high standard of the event but she had tons of lessons to take home from the event.

“It was a world event and that experience, I would compare it with the Olympic Games. It was an eye-opening experience because I now realised that sports could be a career on its own," she said.

“There were people there who had also competed at the World Championships and I now believed that I could do anything."

However, after coming back, charged up and ready to take her athletics journey seriously, she got pregnant and that’s when she had to put her training on a break.

Amutavi narrates how she met Omanyala back in 2016 and at the time, they had gone to compete at the same event. 

That was the first time Amutavi saw him and little did she know that they would even get to this stage of their lives.

“I started running in the nationals in 2015 and then when he came in 2016, we certainly noticed him because he did so well but I did not bother much," said Amutavi. 

“Omanyala then came and competed in a university championship at Moi University and then we later met in August that year in the company games.

“At the time, I competed for Kenya Maritime Authority while he was representing the Communications Authority of Kenya.

“The event was happening in Nakuru and as my friend and I had gone to get food, we met him there and he asked for my number. Instead, I asked him for his number and I never called him."

They met three months later at the East Africa University Games and this time around, she had to just give him her number since their previous encounter was weird. That’s how their friendship grew into something beautiful.

After getting pregnant, life changed for them since Omanyala did not have a substantial job and now all eyes were on Amutavi to deliver. She admits to having a fear of what is next and how her mother would be disappointed with her.

“Choosing to carry my child, I knew my life would change but his family was very supportive and took me in. We decided to give our all and put in all the effort and I had to go back to work,” she admits.

Amutavi would go to work and save the money she would earn knowing that she could not go back home since she did not know how her mother would react. After completing school, she moved in with Omanyala, paid rent for seven months, and furnished the house.

When she finally told her mother, she did not take it lightly and Amutavi had to stop talking to her for some time before things got better.

“I would go to work and then come back home then Omanyala would leave for class and training. I used to work a lot and the pregnancy was never a nightmare for me," said Amutavi.

“How I delivered my baby was a miracle because I was not feeling so much labour pain and when we went to the hospital, after three hours, my baby had arrived."

For three months, Amutavi could not go to work since she was taking care of herself and the baby and they had to survive on savings. They also received help from other family members.

After five months, Amutavi got another job but they did not have enough money to pay for a house help.

“I used to work at night and then spend time with my child during the day and he would take care of the child at night when I go to work. During the day, he would go for training and also attend his classes,” she says.

At the time, they moved houses, and since she had also gotten another job and, on some days, she would work day and night.

Chasing history

During her days as she worked at her second job in Karen, she would do easy training sessions and she admits to missing out on spending time with her son when he was young. On days when she would come back to compete, she would reach the semi-final of the events even with little to no training.

She narrates how her husband was also a source of motivation for her to keep pushing since she has seen him rise from the ashes.

“I was not happy with where I was working and I would always ask God to show me the way because I knew I had the sporting talent. In 2020, we sat down with Omanyala and talked about quitting and I made the bold move in 2021 with his counsel," she recalls.

“Luckily, things were looking up for him and therefore, we did not have to worry about what next."

She made a statement to the track and field last year but injuries were her major setback though she is not giving up on her dreams.

“I thought that when I come back I would rise…I started training vigorously and I got an injury, a shin splint, and I had to deal with it the entire season back in 2022," said Amutavi.

“I knew 2023 was my year and I started my build-up which was good and I was picking up slowly and my body was adjusting well. Two months before the national championships, I got an injury.

“I sat down and evaluated what I wanted to achieve…I love the long jump and so I decided that would be my main event but I would not really ditch sprinting.

“I have for long observed a gap in the long jump and from Omanyala, we can see a rise in sprints and so I also want to be a force in the field events.

“I want to have my path and go down in history and I want to be associated with the long jump, like when someone mentions the long jump, they think about me,” she said.

With this dream in mind, she admits to having put herself under a lot of pressure that has caused her a lot of pain. She used to ignore the pain she would feel but with the impact it has brought her, she prefers taking everything a day at a time.

“One day, I woke up and could not walk and I had to go for a scan and get checked and I was on medication. However, at the time I did not want to miss any competition and so I resumed training despite limping on the pitch,” she added.

In 2024, she admits that she is just making baby steps and does not want to pressure herself. She wanted to go for the All Africa Games in Ghana and the Olympic Games in Paris, France but with the challenge she is facing at the moment, she believes it is all working out for her own good.

“I’m not doing heavy training and I’m just taking a day at a time. I want God to take charge because his plans are very different,” she said.