How Ferdinand Omanyala's dark past returned to haunt him in Brussels
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Reading Time: 2min | Sun. 15.09.24. | 09:20
Omanyala remains determined to keep competing and to inspire the next generation of Kenyan sprinters.
Kenyan sprinter Ferdinand Omanyala has revealed that he was told he could not compete in the Brussels Diamond League on Friday due to a previous anti-doping ban he received in 2017.
The 28-year-old, however, managed to overcome the setback of the 14-month suspension to become a leading figure in sprinting, not only in Kenya but also globally. He is currently Africa’s fastest man.
On Friday, Omanyala was not part of the 100M contingent in Brussels for the season-ending Diamond League event. Instead, he ran in an invitational race on Saturday, where he won with a time of 10.07 seconds against a less fancied group of athletes, wrapping up what has been a season of mixed fortunes for him.
In his post-race interview, Omanyala expressed satisfaction with the victory in the invitational race despite facing limited competition. "A win is a win. I was supposed to run on Friday, but we didn't get enough points to qualify,” he told CNN's Larry Madowo.
The 2017 anti-doping ban seemed to come back to haunt Omanyala, as he disclosed that some race organizers had informed him his prior ban barred him from competing in Brussels, costing him a chance to participate. The 100M race was won by Jamaica’s Ackeem Blake in 9.93 seconds, with USA’s Christian Coleman and Fred Kerley finishing second and third, respectively.
“Some of the organizers told us that due to a previous ban, we couldn't compete in the Diamond League, which affected our points. However, I’m glad we had the chance to run today in the invitational race. It was a great experience,” he said.
Reflecting on his season, Omanyala acknowledged its challenges, with the biggest being his eighth-place finish in the Olympics semifinals describing it as a season of mixed fortunes but expressing gratitude for bouncing back from setbacks.
"It’s always nice to compete, learn, and carry those lessons into the next season,” he added. "This season has been like a rollercoaster—up and down—but I’ve kept getting up and pushing forward."
Omanyala remains determined to keep competing and to inspire the next generation of Kenyan sprinters. “We’ll keep striving next season, and hopefully, we’ll get more Kenyans excelling in sprints,” he concluded.
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