S. OchiengOmanyala begins promising 2023 season with new national record in France
Reading Time: 2min | Sat. 04.02.23. | 13:38
The 27 year old lowered the record from 6.63s to 6.60 in his first race of the year.
Reigning Commonwealth 100m champion and Africa’s fastest man Ferdinand Omanyala started his 2023 season on a positive note after setting a new national record at the World Athletics Indoor meeting held in Miramas, France on Saturday night in the 60m dash.
Having come out from a successful 2022 season that saw him snatch both the African 100m crown and the Commonwealth Gold from South Africa’s Akani Simbine, Omanyala was taking part in his first race this season as he prepares for a busy outdoor campaign in 2023 that includes the Budapest World Championship.
NATIONAL RECORD SET ONCE AGAIN 🤯🤯@Ferdiomanyala finished second at the World Athletics Indoor meeting in Miramas last night in the men's 60m dash recording a time of 6:60. Here's what he had to say after the race 👇
— TeamKenya (@OlympicsKe) February 4, 2023
Congratulations are in Order 👏👏👏#InspiringTheNation pic.twitter.com/MbMXQpCq6n
In the race, Omanyala clocked 6.60s to set the new national record that saw him settle for a second place finish behind Ivory Coast’s Arthur Cisse who crossed the finish line in 6.57s with Turkey’s Ertan Ozkan coming in third after clocking 6.68s.
In February 2022, Omanyala set a new national record of 6.63 seconds in the 60m dash when he debuted at the World Indoor Miramas Meeting Tour in France.
Ferdinand Omanyala🇰🇪 (6:60) finished second behind Ivorian Arthur Gue Cissé Elite 🇨🇮(6:57) in the men's 60 m race during the Elite Indoor Meeting at the Stadium Miramas Metropole, in Miramas, southern France Last night. pic.twitter.com/apQKJlQ7PA
— Wanjiku Reports (@WanjikuReports) February 4, 2023
“The race was nice because I started the season with a very fast time this year (6.60s) compared to last year (6.63s) and that means there is an improvement so I am very happy about it,” he said after the race.
Omanyala arrived in France on Tuesday ahead of the opening race of his three-week tour on Saturday.
The Kenyan athlete will now head out for the Meeting Mondeville on 8 February before travelling back to the capital for the Paris Indoor Meeting on February 11. Omanyala will conclude his French tour on February 15 in Lievin where he broke his own national record.
He clipped the national record as he clocked 6.57 seconds at the Meeting Hauts-de- France Pas-de-Calais.
