Omurwa relishing chance to race against Omanyala at Addis Ababa Grand Pix
Reading Time: 3min | Fri. 17.04.26. | 20:38
With the margins in sprinting often razor-thin, he believes execution will be key
All eyes will be on the men’s 100m at the Addis Ababa Grand Prix on Saturday, 18 April as Isaac Omurwa prepares for a special moment where he will line up against his elder brother Ferdinand Omanyala.
Omurwa will be part of a strong Kenyan contingent that includes Omanyala, Mark Otieno, Zablon Ekwam, and Samuel Chege. The race is expected to be highly competitive, with Ethiopian and American athletes also in the mix, among them Lawrence Johnson and Samuel Blaskowski.
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For Omurwa, however, the spotlight goes beyond the competition. The race will offer him a rare opportunity to share the track with Africa’s fastest man.
“Racing against my brother has always been something special to me. It’s honestly one of the best feelings, and I’m very happy to have that opportunity again on such a stage,” he said.
The young sprinter heads into the race eager to make a statement after a modest start to his season.
The world’s fastest athletes are coming to Addis Ababa!
— Visit Addis Ababa (@Visitaddis_et) April 16, 2026
For the Addis Ababa Grand Prix, Ethiopia’s first-ever World Athletics Continental Tour, stars like Gabby Thomas, Dalilah Muhammad, Ferdinand Omanyala, and many more international athletes are heading to the capital! pic.twitter.com/QdhFWhAp5U
“My expectations are definitely very high going into Addis Ababa. I really want to run something fast and make a statement. My season didn’t start on a high note, but this weekend is about correcting that and showing the progress I’ve made in training,” he offered.
Omurwa is coming off the Bingwa Fest, where he missed out on the podium, but insists the experience has sharpened his mindset.
“I took a lot of lessons from Bingwa Fest, but the biggest one for me is learning to look forward and not dwell on the past. What’s done is done, and now it’s about focusing on what I can improve and how I can deliver when it matters next,” he averred.
Lining up against his brother presents a unique mix of motivation and pressure.
“I think it’s both motivating and a bit of pressure. It motivates me because I’m running against Africa’s fastest man, someone I look up to, but at the same time, there’s pressure because I know I have to perform when I’m up against the very best,” the sprinter said.
Beyond the family rivalry, Omurwa is also bracing for a stacked field that includes experienced Kenyan sprinters. They train together with Chege and Otieno.
“I have a lot of respect for Mark and Zablon. They are experienced athletes, and their presence really raises the level of competition,” he offered.
With the margins in sprinting often razor-thin, Omurwa believes execution will be key. He has set a target of 10:03 seconds.
“I hadn’t really looked at it from the angle of being the youngest in the field, but now that it’s mentioned, I still believe that in sports, age is just a number. What matters is performance on the day,” he said.
What would a successful outing in Ethiopia look like for him?
“A successful outing for me is all about composure throughout the race and believing that I’ve done enough in training to compete at that level,” he said.
“The message I want to send is simple: I am still around, and I shouldn’t be counted out,” he concluded.
