Why sprint legend is not too worried by Ferdinand Omanyala & Fred Kerley's slow season starts

Fred Kerley and Ferdinand Omanyala have not had the strongest starts to their respective seasons.

Ferdinand Omanyala and Fred Kerley have hit a few bumps at the start of their 2025 outdoor seasons, but according to sprint legend Justin Gatlin, there’s no reason to sound the alarm just yet.

Both sprinters are fine-tuning their form as they gear up for the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo this September.

Kerley kicked off his 2025 campaign with a tight win at the USC Trojan Invitational on March 22, edging out New Zealand’s Eddie Nketia by just 0.03 seconds. He clocked 10.23 seconds, with Nketia following closely at 10.26 seconds.

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While it was a victory, it wasn’t exactly the dominant performance fans might expect from the Olympic bronze medalist. 

Meanwhile, Omanyala—Africa’s fastest man—has also had a less-than-ideal start to his season. The Kenyan sprint star competed in several local races before heading to South Africa for the Athletics South Africa Grand Prix 2.

As the overwhelming favorite in the 100m, a win seemed almost inevitable. But in a shocking twist, he was beaten by Karabo Letebele, a 19-year-old South African sprinter, who crossed the line in 10.19 seconds. 

South Africa’s Emile Erasmus finished second, also at 10.19 seconds, while Omanyala had to settle for third in 10.22 seconds. His fellow Kenyan Mark Odhiambo followed in fourth.

Omanyala’s defeat became a hot topic on the Ready Set Go podcast, where Justin Gatlin and co-host Rodney Greene dissected the early-season struggles of both Omanyala and Kerley.

Gatlin was taken aback when he learned Omanyala had lost a race so early in the season but what truly surprised him was the fact that a South African teenager took the win.

“So, are you saying Omanyala has some real competition in his country now?” Gatlin asked, clearly surprised. “That he can’t just cruise to victory anymore?”

Rodney Greene was quick to put things into perspective:

“Let’s be clear, the reason he was cruising before was because he was running 9.99, 9.89, 9.97. But if he’s at 10.2, he’s not cruising to anything."

Greene, a former sprinter himself, went on to explain why fans should have no reason to worry about the fact both sprinters are yet to record fast times early on in their seasons.

" Early in the season, when people post certain times, they’re usually working on different aspects—whether it’s their start or something else. They might be carrying heavy loads in training, so they’re not running to set world-leading times. That’s not the goal."

And that’s exactly why he’s not reading too much into Kerley’s or Omanyala’s slow starts.

“Our season really doesn’t start until May,” Greene continued. “So when you see athletes running now, like Fred Kerley, who just clocked 10.21, do I think that’s the shape he’s in? 

“No. Am I worried? Not at all. I believe Fred is out there working on something—maybe his start, maybe his transition. I don’t know how much weight he’s carrying in training, but he’s in a specific phase.”

According to Greene, fans shouldn’t panic when elite sprinters post underwhelming times early in the year.

“That’s what people sometimes miss. When you see certain race times, you might not be impressed, but for the coach and the athlete, these races are just part of the process. They’re working on things because, to them, these early-season races don’t mean much.”

Both Omanyala and Kerley have their sights set on Tokyo 2025, and if history has taught us anything, it’s that early-season struggles rarely define how a sprinter performs on the biggest stage. 

Kerley himself endured a slow start to his 2024 season, and he ended up winning bronze in the Olympic 100m final.