Omanyala, Okutoyi conduct mentorship program at Nairobi Club

Commonwealth Games 100 metres gold medalist Ferdinand Omanyala and Wimbledon junior doubles tennis champion Angella Okutoyi offered valuable tips to 120 young tennis players at the Ferdinand Omanyala 10s at the Nairobi Club on Saturday.

The two stars also played an exhibition match on the clay courts to the delight of players and fans alike. 

African champion Omanyala is the fastest man on the continent with a 9.77-second dash.

He was approached by renowned coach Veronica Osogo to become the Junior Tennis Initiative (JTI) ambassador.

Omanyala said he happy to inspire the next generation of players at Nairobi Club where he spent the whole day accompanied by his wife and sprinter Laventa Amutavi. 

“It was such a nice event. The turnout was massive and the children were so excited. They were motivated with what I’m doing on the track and were grateful to see me here,” said Omanyala, who got funding and support from Track Ferdy and Nairobi Sports House. 

“I enjoyed playing with the kids and to motivate them, to show them that I’m just like them. They are very young, but they can achieve anything they want in life. I told them to never give up in life and to also take their education seriously because it’s the foundation for good things,” noted Omanyala.

He disclosed that some tennis players even said they would like to be sprinters.

“Some have been brought here by their parents who want them to play tennis, but that’s not what they want. I told them to follow their hearts,” said Omanyala.

He noted that the Omanyala 10s will not be a one-off tournament.

“We are planning to have it yearly. I believe next year it will be bigger and better. I hope to do this with other federations who are willing to organize such a thing,” he said.

Omanyala also said he enjoyed playing with 2018 Kenya Open and 2021 Africa Under-18 champion Okutoyi.

On his just-concluded track season, Omanyala said it was nice to win his first medals for Kenya – the 100m and 4 x100m relay gold medals at the Africa Senior Athletics Championships in Mauritius in June and the Commonwealth Games 100m title in Birmingham, England in August.

Going into next season, he reiterated that his goals were to win the World Championship and get to the Diamond League final.

Okutoyi, on her part, said she was happy to encourage the young kids.  

“They are lucky enough to have someone to do this to them. I didn’t get that much when I was young, so they are lucky. And for another athlete (Omanyala) to come sponsor a tournament, that’s really good for them.

I gave words of encouragement to the winners, runners-up and all those who participated. It was a good tournament and well organized,” she said. 

Some of the players said Okutoyi was their idol. She advised them to keep working hard to reach their dreams.

“Hopefully, I’ll get to see them playing in the Grand Slams,” said Okutoyi who plans to close the year 2022 with two International Tennis Federation (ITF) Women's World Tennis Tour tournaments.

“I’m preparing to compete in a Futures tournament in mid-October in Tunisia before another one in Nairobi,” she disclosed.

Tennis Kenya Secretary General Wanjiru Mbugua said it was great to have the Omanyala 10s.

She added that the African 100m record holder really inspired the children.

“You can sense the excitement in the air. He signed their shirts and certificates and took so many photos with them. Most of them are looking to become the next Angella Okutoyi,” said Wanjiru. 

Osogo, who is in charge of junior tennis development in Kenya, said Omanyala 10s is part of the many junior tournaments that Tennis Kenya hopes to use to reach children across the country.

“Choosing an athlete like Omanyala who is not a tennis player does not mean that when you are not a tennis player you cannot collaborate with us or be a role model. He can give us the best lessons he has learned as a runner and the hardships he has gone through to reach where he is right now,” said the former Kenyan international.