Omanyala primed for first athletics medal as glory beckons at African Championships
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Reading Time: 2min | Thu. 09.06.22. | 09:45
The Kenyan has already beaten Simbine this year and will be hoping to replicate the performance when it matters most.
After a year of setting and breaking records, Africa's fastest man Ferdinand Omanyala will have the chance to win at the continental stage when he takes to the track in the 100m final at the 22nd Africa Athletics Championships which kicked off on Wednesday in Mauritius.
The Kenyan will be up against South Africa's Akani Simbine who will be seeking to defend his title as Omanyala goes for his first, the two having met at a meet in South Africa in April where Omanyala triumphed,
In the semis, Omanyala posted a time of 10.07 to finish first while Simbine was 0.02 seconds slower in the other semifinal, but the two will now face off from lanes six and five respectively at 3:10 PM EAT on Thursday. He beat Namibia's Gilbert Maseko and Mauritius' Noa Bibi who settled for second and third respectively.
Fastest man in Africa Kenya's Ferdinand Omanyala will be in action 1500hrs EAT today. Omanyala will face Africa's defending champion Akani Sambine in the Africa Senior Athletics Championships in Ivory Coast. #GoOmanyala! pic.twitter.com/nCT7xERZlL
— Ken Aseka (@KenAseka) June 9, 2022
Speaking after booking a spot in the final, Omanyala said that he will concentrate on his race rather than focus on his opponents and remains adamant that he could have posted a better time in the semis was the race not delayed.
"I won't focus on my rivals in the final since I might end up running their race. My eyes will be on the finishing line. Running 10.07 was good, but it could have been better if they didn't keep us at the blocks for 20 minutes," Omanyala said as quoted by Nation Sports.
National 100m champion Maximilla Imali will also be going for glory in the women's race having sailed through to the final after finishing third in the semis with a time of 11.26 seconds.
She will be the only Kenyan in the final after her compatriot and 2015 Africa Games 100m silver medallist Eunice Kadogo got eliminated at the semis after finishing sixth in another semifinal, clocking 11.56 seconds.
In other races, national 400m women's champion Veronica Mutua and Jacinta Shikanda will be looking to grab tickets to the final, same as Collins Omae and Seewua William in the men's 400m while Elias Ngeny and Nicholas Kiplagat will be out to book their slots in the final of the 800m.
Brenda Chebet, Purity Chepkirui, and Winny Chebet will be contending for a clean sweep in the 1500m Women's final.
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