The focus area for Omanyala after Kip Keino setback
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Reading Time: 2min | Sun. 01.06.25. | 13:28
The 2022 Commonwealth Games champion took the setback in stride, pointing to a need to fine-tune his phases, especially his transitions
Africa’s fastest man, Ferdinand Omanyala, remained composed despite finishing third in a hotly contested men’s 100m final at the Kip Keino Classic on Saturday. He acknowledged the result while vowing to sharpen his race execution moving forward.
The 29-year-old clocked 10.07 seconds at the Ulinzi Sports Complex, falling short of his ambition to reclaim the title and dip under 10 seconds for the first time this season.
Australia's World Indoor silver medallist, Kennedy Lachlan, stunned the field with a personal best of 9.98 to take the win, while South Africa’s rising star, Bayanda Walaza, finished second in 10.03.
In his post-race interview, a disappointed Omanyala admitted he had expected to perform better.
“Of course, I expected a faster time, but the race is finished now, and we move on. I will be correcting mistakes as we go,” he said.
Despite missing out on a third Kip Keino Classic crown—after previous wins in 2022 (9.85) and 2023 (9.84)—Omanyala took the setback in stride, pointing to a need to fine-tune his phases, especially his transitions.
“Now I am going into the next phase and doing things I did not do before,” he added. “I have been working on my transition, and hopefully, we can get it right in the next couple of days.”
The 2022 Commonwealth Games champion came into the race with a season’s best of 10.00 seconds, set at the Botswana Golden Grand Prix, where he finished behind Akani Simbine (9.90).
His 2025 campaign has seen a rollercoaster of results: third in South Africa (10.22), a win in the second leg (10.08), runner-up in Xiamen (10.13), last in Shanghai (10.25), and second in Rabat (10.05).
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Omanyala, who placed fifth at last year’s Kip Keino Classic (10.03), expressed gratitude to the home fans for their unwavering support.
“I thank the fans for turning up in large numbers—the crowd was very electric,” he concluded.
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