Omanyala to lead Kenya in World Indoor battle
Ferdinand Omanyala (right) wins his 200m heat during third Athletics Kenya Track and Field Meeting at Nyayo Stadium in Nairobi on January 26, 2024.
What you need to know:
- Africa’s fastest man will race in 60m at the global championships in Glasgow next month
Africa’s fastest man Ferdinand Omanyala and world under- 20 1,500metres champion Reynold Kipkorir will lead Kenya’s charge at the World Indoor Athletics Championships scheduled for March 1 to 3 in Glasgow, Scotland.
Omanyala, the 60m indoor national record holder, and Kipkorir, the One Mile World Under-20 record holder, are among 11 athletes picked to represent Kenya in the global indoor event.
Omanyala, the Commonwealth and Africa 100m champion, is the sole representative in sprints for Kenya. He will race in the 60m.
Kipkorir will team up with the 2021 world under-20 1,500m champion Vincent Keter in the 1,500m while the reigning world indoor 800m silver medallist Noah Kibet will be seeking to go one better in 800m where he has company in Collins Kipruto.
The 2021 world under-20 3,000m champion Teresiah Gateri, who is based in Japan, will hope to emulate Hellen Obiri, the only Kenyan to have won the world indoor 3,000m title.
Obiri, the only woman to have won world titles at indoor, cross country and track, clinched the 2012 world title in Istanbul, Turkey.
Vivian Chebet will also be looking to replicate Pamela Jelimo’s 2012 world indoor exploits, having been picked for the women’s 800m. Jelimo is the only Kenyan woman to win the world indoor women’s 800m title and the only other besides Margaret Nyairera to win a medal.
Nyairera settled for bronze in 2016.
Kenyan 400m champion Zablon Ekwam will lead the team of Boniface Mweresa, Kelvin Tauta and national 400m hurdles champion Wiseman Were in men’s 4x400m contest.
Athletics Kenya director of competitions Paul Mutwii, who announced the squad yesterday, disclosed that the team will be led by AK treasurer David Miano while Ben Ouma is the team’s technical leader. The 2007 world 800m champion Alfred KIrwa is the team coach.
Josephine Nyarunda will be in charge of safeguarding while Stephen Ndungu is the team physiotherapist.
“We shall communicate to the athletes when residential training will begin,” said Mutwii.
Omanyala is already in Europe competing. He showed his form, winning the Elite Miramas Indoor Meeting 60m final in France in a national record time of 6.52 seconds on Saturday.
He next races in Meeting de Paris on February 11 in the French capital.
Kenya won only two medals at the 2022 world indoor championships in Belgrade, Serbia via Noah Kibet (silver, 800m) and Abel Kipsang (bronze, 1,500m).
