Omanyala eyes 100m Gold with boxing passion

Ferdinand Omanyala was the first Kenyan to win a 100m Diamond League meeting with victory in Monaco last month | Photo Credit: Courtesy

2023 WORLD ATHLETICS CHAMPIONSHIPS Omanyala eyes 100m Gold with boxing passion

Shafic Kiyaga • 23:45 - 18.08.2023

Dominating the tracks, he raced past competitors including the junior 100m world record holder, Botswana's Letsile Tebogo, as well as Jamaican speedsters Ackeem Blake and Yohan Blake.

Commonwealth Games champion Ferdinand Omanyala has his sights firmly set on the 100m gold at the upcoming World Athletics Championships in Budapest.

Drawing an intriguing parallel, Omanyala likened the intensity and aggression of the 100m race to a boxing match, citing that both sports command enormous attention and are filled with heightened anticipation.

"The 100 metres is most popular because of its hype - I consider it like a boxing match," Omanyala shared with BBC Sport Africa.

"In a boxing match, there's a lot of hype around it, there's a lot of media and (the 100m race) is like nine seconds of aggression."

This passion and drive are what propelled the 27-year-old Kenyan to his maiden Diamond League victory in Monaco this past July.

Dominating the tracks, he raced past competitors including the junior 100m world record holder, Botswana's Letsile Tebogo, as well as Jamaican speedsters Ackeem Blake and Yohan Blake.

Having stamped his authority as Africa's fastest man with a record-breaking 9.77 seconds in 2021, Omanyala is no stranger to high stakes.

His gold-winning sprint of 10.02 seconds at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham is a testament to his mettle.

Following up with the second-fastest 100m time this year in Nairobi, the sprinter now has the World Championships podium in his crosshairs.

Omanyala emphasized his aspirations, stating, "Africa has never medalled in this race and that's something I want to break.”

“I want to change that, so I want to win a medal - I want to win the gold." As one of the top contenders, he understands the weight of expectations. "I'm going for nothing less than a gold."

Facing such monumental expectations might unsettle many, but not Omanyala.

"The moment I get in the field, see the crowd and how the field looks and understand that this now is the reality of it, all my tension always just disappears," he explained.

For Omanyala, it's clear – every race is an opportunity. An opportunity to rewrite history, to make a mark, and to stand tall against all odds.