Millions iShowSpeed must pay to race Ferdinand Omanyala

Africa’s fastest Man Ferdinand Omanyala has revealed the hefty price tag attached to a potential showdown with popular American streamer iShowSpeed, as excitement builds around the YouTuber’s ongoing African tour.

Speed, whose real name is Darren Watkins Jr, is currently on his “Speed Does Africa” tour, with plans to head toward East Africa in the coming days. 

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While fans are already anticipating a blockbuster sprint duel in Kenya, Omanyala has made it clear that the race will only happen if there is money on the table.

Speaking in an interview, the Commonwealth 100m champion disclosed that Speed would need to part with at least 50,000 US dollars approximately Ksh6.4 million, for the race to materialise.

“I mean, he has a team, I have a team. If he wants to compete, he will reach out when he comes to Kenya. There are no rules to competing me, as long as there is money. If he is putting anything not less than 50,000 dollars on the table, we will be good,” Omanyala said.

The potential clash gained momentum on Tuesday, 6 January when Speed was in Gaborone, Botswana, where he shocked many by edging Olympic 200m champion Letsile Tebogo in a surprise sprint race.

iShowSpeed edges Olympic champion Tebogo in surprise sprint showdown [VIDEO]

Speaking after the race, Tebogo hinted that the streamer’s next challenge could be even bigger; Kenya’s sprint king.

“I saw you are racing Ferdinand in Kenya. Maybe you could buy a few things so that I can teach you,” Tebogo joked.

“Yeah, yeah,” Speed replied, fueling speculation that talks are already underway.

For now, it remains a waiting game as fans watch to see whether Speed will meet Omanyala’s demands and step onto a Kenyan track.

Over the past year, Speed has built a reputation for chasing adrenaline-filled challenges against elite sprinters. 

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In late 2024, he lined up against Olympic 100m champion Noah Lyles in a high-stakes 50-metre dash.

While Lyles cruised to victory, Speed’s explosive start and raw pace caught the attention of the athletics world.

Never short on confidence, the streamer also set his sights on world champion Sha’Carri Richardson, suggesting he could beat her in a race.

Richardson swiftly shut down the idea, insisting Speed would first need to survive a full day of elite sprint training.

“Before we race, I have got to teach you how to be a sprinter first… You come down for a day, you do my entire workout, and after that, we can set something up,” she said.

Omanyala reveals plans to open public sprint club

Sprint legend Usain Bolt also weighed in in June 2025, sending Speed a video message offering to coach him, acknowledging his natural speed while insisting he could be much faster. 

The two later met on a track in November, where Bolt playfully humbled the YouTuber and suggested he would struggle to beat Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce over 40 metres.