Hope as Odibets supports Kenya’s ‘fastest’ man

On January 23 this year, Kenyans celebrated their own who ran 100m in 10.11 seconds in the second leg of the Athletics Kenya Relays Series at the Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi.

The athlete, Ferdinand Omanyala, was to later have his ‘record’ short-lived as his win was declared wind-assisted. “I had set my eyes on the prize and knew that I would win big and break a record during this tournament,” said Omanyala after completing the race.

Though his win was not ratified as a national record, leading betting firm Odibets have come out to support the athlete and encourage him that all hope is not lost.

“Omanyala’s effort shows that there is talent at the grassroots level and that we can have the next Usain Bolt coming from our community,” said Odibets Country Marketing Manager Aggrey Sayi as he handed Ferdinand a small recognition of effort from the company.

Speaking to journalists, Omanyala said: “I intend to compete abroad. It’s time to go international now. The performance is a result of the good pre-season I had with the Kenya Sevens rugby team in November and December last year. It’s a shame my time won’t be ratified as a national record but God’s time is the best. It will come gradually.”

Odibets General Manager, Dedan Mungai, noted that the move was in line with the betting firm’s vision of growing untapped talent from the grassroots to the national and finally the international levels.

“Through this move, we hope to harness and foster the immense untapped potential that our grassroots athletes have. They should know that all hope is not lost despite the setbacks they may get on their way up,” said Mungai.