Omanyala clarifies his Diamond League absence

Newly minted Commonwealth 100m champion Ferdinand Omanyala has ended all debate about his ongoing absence in the elite Diamond League races by claiming that all along it has been his choice not to take part in the events despite getting invited.

Since his quick rise to fame, Omanyala, who also beat South Africa’s Akani Simbine to claim the African 100m title at the 2022 Africa Athletics Championships held in Mauritius back in June, has not participated in any leg of the 2022 Diamond League season, sparking endless rumours about his absence from the event.

In an interview on Capital Sport, the 26 year old who has had considerable success this season by winning the African crown and the Commonwealth title on top of becoming the continent’s fastest ever man revealed that he would have competed in the Diamond League had the event not been clashing with his season’s program.

“I would have competed in the Diamond League series but I missed out on most of the legs because they were clashing with the various championships in which I was competing. My aim was to win a medal this year and I did it. Therefore, I have chosen to participate in these World Continental Tour events because as it stands it would be difficult for me to make it to the finals of the Diamond League,” the sprint sensation is quoted as saying.

Omanyala, who atoned for his failure to make the World Championship final with a Commonwealth Gold, has two races to go before calling it a season.

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The 26 year old will compete at next week’s Spitzen Leichtathletick World Continental Tour in Lucerne, Switzerland and will also run at the 2022 ISTAF World Continental Tour Silver in Berlin, Germany where he will be winding up his season.