Ferdinand Omanyala's mission to mentor the next generation of sprinters
Reading Time: 3min | Mon. 22.04.24. | 08:44
The African champion aims to mentors the next generation of sprinters through the Omanyala Foundation.
There is a timeless saying that goes, "There is no better exercise for the heart than reaching down and helping others."
This saying found its rightful dwelling in the inception of the Omanyala Foundation, whose formation was fueled by the belief that every budding sprinter deserves the chance to soar to greater heights.
Mozzart Sport chatted with the brainchild of the foundation, Ferdinand Omanyala, who shed light on the motivation and the main purpose behind it.
The trailblazing sprinter revealed that his way to the top was not smooth, but he was determined to use his experience to guide the younger generation of sprinters.
Omanyala is a perfect reflection of how a rejection can quickly turn into the fundamental cornerstone needed to build the most prized of assets.
He started his athletic career on a low in 2016 after he served a 14-month doping ban in 2017 after returning a positive drug test for a banned substance, which he said was in a painkiller he took.
He, however, overcame that to go down in history as the first 100-metre Kenyan athlete to qualify for the prestigious Olympic Games in Tokyo. A year later, after the milestone achievement, he set the African 100-metre record, clinching the African crown and winning the Commonwealth Games, all in a sparkling 2022 performance.
“It is something that has been on my mind for a long time because I can say that I was an accident. I was not a sprinter in the first place; I was a rugby player. Now I understand the journey it takes to get to this level. If you make a mistake, there is no way you will reach the top,” he started.
The motivational sprinter noted that his foundation was built on three agendas: to develop sprints in Kenya and Africa in general, help with climate change, and use sports to promote good health.
He clarified that after the Kenya Secondary Schools Association (KSSSA) Term One games in Machakos, they selected the first batch of sprinters. The aim was to ensure that they turned professional or got an invaluable opportunity to study abroad. They would train them during the holidays and provide them with programs when they returned to school.
“We picked some sprinters after the conclusion of the KSSSA games, and we will meet them and put it out there. We took the best in 100m and 200m, both male and female and we will mentor them. The end goal is to give them a chance to study abroad as student-athletes or turn professionals,” he averred.
He also noted that the foundation would train coaches to help speed up sprinters' development. Most of the coaches will be former sprinters who are familiar with the highs and lows of the discipline.
“We have started from high school; we will take the best high schoolers from the national level and put them in a camp and then we will train them during the holiday season. When they go back to school, we will give them a program. We will also train sprint coaches because Kenya lacks trained sprint coaches,” he offered.
He continued, “I aim to take previous sprinters and ensure they attain the highest level possible through coaching. We will take them to school to study coaching and then integrate them into the Omanyala Foundation.”
For Omanyala, the end goal was to develop a strong pool of sprinters who would fly the country’s flag high in national and global competitions.
“Every year, I want to produce a star sprinter. Through the support from corporations, we will make it happen,” he concluded.
