Athletics Kenya disown Omanyala

Athletics Kenya are set to deny speedster Ferdinand Omanyala a ticket to Tokyo Olympic Games despite the 23 year-old qualifying for the 100m race on Tuesday evening with a record breaking 10.01 seconds performance in Lagos, Nigeria.

Barely 15 hours after Omamynala’s feat 5300 kilometers away from home, Athletics Kenya Competitions Director Paul Mutwii poured cold water on the ‘so called record’ and ruled out any chance of the Bachelor of Science student living his Olympic dream.

“It is very clear that when you have been sanctioned for a doping offense no matter how slight it looks you cannot wear the Kenyan vest in an international competition. That is a directive that the President of the Republic of Kenya signed and so there cannot be any dispute about it,” Mutwii told Mozzart Sports

Omanyala was banned in 2017 and served a 14-month ban by Anti-doping Agency of Kenya (Adak) after testing positive for glucocorticoid betamethasone, a substance banned by World Anti-Doping Agency. His coach Duncan Ayiemba was slapped with a two-year ban for administration or an attempt to administer betamethasone.

He graciously served his ban and returned to the scene with a storm, clocking very fast times and has previously lowered the Kenyan record in a poorly organized race which consequently denied him the honors of owning bragging rights of Kenya’s fastest man.

Omanyala will be forced to appeal to the government to waive their stance on convicted dopers before AK grants him his wish of flying to Tokyo. And he will have to do so without the federation support as Mutwii ruled out AK getting involved in lodging the appeal on Omanyala’s behalf.

“We cannot have anything to do with the appeal. That is his cross to carry,” he said

AK hierarchy led by president Jack Tuwei have repeatedly threatened to lock out convicted drug cheats from Team Kenya and are now making good their threats with Omanyala’s case.

There was an exception with road runner Mathew Kisorio who represented Kenya after serving his two-year ban before the proclamation was made to deny cheats the coveted Kenyan vests. The National Police Service runner had also fully cooperated with anti-doping investigators.

Mutwii also said Athletics Kenya will keenly await statistics from Nigeria to see the conditions under which the race in Lagos was staged before contemplating ratifying the 100m record.

Omanyala’s 10.1 second sprint at the 3rd MoC Grand Prix reduced by a considerable fraction Mark Otieno’s 10.14 record that has stood since 2017.

“We are not in a hurry to change that record because we are yet to get details on the conditions in which race organizers staged the race. There are set guidelines for a record to be recognized and will will strictly look at the conditions of that race,” he explained.