Kenya’s Africa 100 metres record holder Ferdinand Omanyala trains in Miramas, France, on July 24 under the watchful eye of his coach Marcel Viljoen as part of his build-up to the World Athletics Championships and 2024 Olympic Games. Miramas will also host Team Kenya’s training camp for the 2024 Olympic Games.
| PoolAthletics
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Omanyala has what it takes to win, says marathon king Kipchoge
What you need to know:
- Kipchoge, the world marathon record holder, said that Omanyala, the fastest man in Africa has a great chance of winning Africa its first medal in 100metres at the World Athletics Championships that starts tomorrow in Budapest, Hungary.
- No African has won a medal in 100m at the world championships.
Distance running legend Eliud Kipchoge has said that fast-rising Kenyan sprint king Ferdinand Omanyala has a bright future.
Kipchoge, the world marathon record holder, said that Omanyala, the fastest man in Africa has a great chance of winning Africa its first medal in 100metres at the World Athletics Championships that starts tomorrow in Budapest, Hungary.
No African has won a medal in 100m at the world championships.
Omanyala, who is the Commonwealth Games and Africa 100m champion, will be making his second appearance at the world championships, having reached the semi-finals at last year’s competition in Oregon, United States of America.
Omanyala became the second Kenyan man to win the Africa 100m title, after Joseph Gikonyo in 1990, when he stormed to victory at last year’s championships in Mauritius.
Omanyala also anchored Kenya’s 4x100m relay team to their first victory at the continental event before making history.
He became the first Kenyan and the second African after South Africa’s Akani Simbine to win the Commonwealth Games 100m gold medal last year in Birmingham, Great Britain.
Omanyala holds the African record of 9.77 seconds in 100m.
At the same time, Kipchoge said that the Olympic and world 1,50m Faith Kipyegon has what it takes to bring home two gold medals from Budapest.
“She will achieve that if you consider her speed, endurance and confidence,” said Kipchoge, who hails from the same Global Sports Communication camp in Kaptagat, Elgeyo Marakwet with Kipyegon.
Kipchoge advised Team Kenya to focus on what they can deliver in Budapest and not what happened in the past.
“Let us not look back and do comparisons,”said Kipchoge. “We don’t have control of yesterday but we can navigate what is present.”
Kipchoge noted that Kenyan athletes are always getting better.
Kenya’s golden girl Kipyegon, who has three world records from track, will be targeting a third title in 1,500m after her previous exploits in 2017 London and 2022 Oregon.
Kipyegon, world record holder in 1,500m, 5,000m and one mile, has the 2016 Rio and 2022 Tokyo Olympics 1,500m gold medals.
The in-form Kenyan runner broke the three world records in June.
The women’s 1,500m and 5,000m, are now officially in the record books. Her women’s mile record set in Monaco on July 21, is pending ratification.
The first of Kipyegon’s world records was set at the Florence Diamond League meeting on June 2, this year.
On that occasion, the 2016 and 2020 Olympic champion ran 3:49.11 to break the women’s world 1,500m record of 3:50.07 that had been set by Ethiopia’s Genzebe Dibaba in Monaco on July 17, 2015.
Just one week later she raced at the Paris Diamond League, on June 9 and stepped up to the 5, 000m. While her original aim may not have been the world record of 14:06.62 set by Ethiopia’s Letesenbet Gidey in Valencia on 7 October 2020, Kipyegon still broke it, running 14:05.20 in just her third race at the distance.
Kipyegon clocked 4:07.64 seconds to obliterate the previous one mile record of 4:12.33 set by Dutchwoman Sifan Hassan at the same venue in 2019.
