Olympics
Exclusive: Ferdinand Omanyala’s Mission to Inspire the Next Generation of Sprinters
Ferdinand Omanyala's foundation aims to nurture Kenya's next generation of sprinters, providing training, mentorship, and global opportunities to young athletes. Learn more about his inspiring mission.
Image Credit: LUIS TATO/AFP via Getty Images
A timeless saying goes, “There is no better exercise for the heart than reaching down and helping others.”
This saying found its rightful dwelling in the inception of the Omanyala Foundation, whose formation was fueled by the belief that every budding sprinter deserves the chance to soar to greater heights.
Kenya has not won any World Championships or Olympic championships sprint event except the 400m bronze and silver in the 4x400m relay in 1993 in Stuttgart, Germany.
Diversifying into sprints races (100m, 200m, 400m), Relays (1x100m, 4x400m, mixed), and hurdles (60m, 100m, 110m, 400m) races will offer an opportunity for young talent to sprout and increase the chance of medals wins for Kenya in these events.
Kenya has won 124 medals in the Olympics from 1964 - 2024. 3/124 of these medals are from sprints. From 1983 to 2023, Kenya won 171 medals in the World Athletics Championships. Only 2 of these 171 medals were in sprints.
The Motivation Behind the Foundation
SportsBoom chatted with the brainchild of the foundation, Ferdinand Omanyala, who shed light on the motivation and the main purpose behind it.
Omanyala Foundation occupies a unique place in its founder who has achieved the highest level ever by a Kenyan in sprint races. He is the first Kenyan to win the Africa 100m title and several one-day international races.
Historically, he was the first Kenyan 100m representative in the Olympic games. The trailblazing sprinter revealed that his way to the top was not smooth, but he is determined to use his experience to guide the younger generation of sprinters.
Omanyala is a perfect reflection of how rejection can quickly turn into the fundamental cornerstone needed to build the most prized of assets.
He started his athletic career on a low in 2016 after he served a 14-month doping ban in 2017 after returning a positive drug test for a banned substance, which he said was in a painkiller he took.
He, however, overcame that to go down in history as the first 100-meter Kenyan athlete to qualify for the prestigious Olympic Games in Tokyo.
A year later, after the milestone achievement, he set the African 100-meter record, clinching the African crown and winning the Commonwealth Games, all in a sparkling 2022 performance.
“I am using my own experience to inspire because I have seen how the world works, and how things run out here. This is the information I aim to give to the young ones and advise them on the way to go. Those who will be part of the foundation will have an edge over the others,” Omanyala told SportsBoom.com.
I want to give opportunities to those who do not get a chance to come to Nairobi and join big clubs or train in bigger facilities. I want to make sure that after campus, they will still have a platform to develop and grow talents..
Ferdinand Omanyala
Agenda of the Foundation
The motivational sprinter noted that his foundation was built on three agendas: to develop sprints in Kenya and Africa in general, help with climate change, and use sports to promote good health.
He clarified that after the Kenya Secondary Schools Association (KSSSA) Term One games in Machakos back in May, they selected the first batch of sprinters.
The aim was to ensure that they turned professional or got an invaluable opportunity to study abroad. They train them during the holidays and provide them with programs when they return to school.
“We picked some sprinters after the conclusion of the KSSSA games, and we will meet them and put it out there. We took the best in 100m and 200m, both male and female and we will mentor them. The end goal is to give them a chance to study abroad as student-athletes or turn professionals,” he averred.
He also noted that the foundation would train coaches to help speed up sprinters' development. Most of the coaches will be former sprinters who are familiar with the highs and lows of the discipline.
“We have started from high school; we will take the best high schoolers from the national level and put them in a camp and then we will train them during the holiday season. When they go back to school, we will give them a program. We will also train sprint coaches because Kenya lacks trained sprint coaches,” he offered.
He continued: “I aim to take previous sprinters and ensure they attain the highest level possible through coaching. We will take them to school to study coaching and then integrate them into the Omanyala Foundation.”
For Omanyala, the end goal is to develop a strong pool of sprinters who would fly the country’s flag high in national and global competitions. The foundation also aims to change the lives of Kenyan athletes.
The main aim of the foundation is to develop and nurture athletic and general sports talents. The long-term goal is to professionalize sports in Kenya. We are still brainstorming and coming up with proper structures.
Ferdinand Omanyala
What sets the Foundation apart is its holistic approach to athlete development, which extends beyond just physical training.
“We have coaches, nutritionists, psychologists, etc. to develop wholesome athletes. We also want to feed the national teams with quality talents,” he offered.
So far, Adidas is showing promising signs of partnering with the foundation and Omanyala is optimistic that this potential collaboration will pave the way for attracting additional partnerships.
“The Foundation is bigger than me. The name is bigger than me. It will outlive me,” the optimistic Omanyala concluded.
A Look into Omanyala’s 2024 season
He started his season in January with the Athletics Kenya (AK) Track and Field meet at the Ulinzi Sports Complex where he attempted the 400m race and came in fifth in 49:06.
On February 3, he graced the Elite Indoor Track Miramas Meeting in France where he clocked 6.52 seconds in the 60-metre final to smash the meeting record that stood at 6.57s.
He would then compete in the 2024 Kip Keino Classic, finishing fifth in 10.01. He was quick to move on, gracing the Atlanta City games where he recorded an improved performance of 9:90 seconds.
At the Prefontaine Classic, the determined Omanyala crossed the line in 9.98 to finish second behind America’s Chris Coleman before returning home for the Olympic trials.
It was during the trials that he registered his best of the season, clocking 9.79 to be the only Kenyan sprinter to book an Olympic ticket.
Following that, he raced at the FBK Games Hengelo where he won in 10.01 under the foggy weather before heading to the Olympics. His Olympic journey came to a premature end when he finished eighth in the semi-finals of the men’s 100m at the Paris Games, missing out on a place in the final.
His first meeting after the Olympics was the Josko Laufmeeting in Austria where he clocked 10.00.
That same month, he competed in the Silesia Diamond League, coming second in 9.88. He then headed to the Rome Diamond League where he finished in seventh place.
He would later come in second in the Boris Hanzekovic Memorial Meeting in Zagreb where he finished second in 10:02 before winning the Brussels Diamond League invitational race in 10:07 to end his season on a high.
Among his highlights this year was being the country’s flag bearer during the Olympics, a moment he will forever cherish.
Tabby Nashipae is a young Kenyan sports journalist known for her insightful reporting and passionate storytelling. Her work is characterized by her ability to connect with sportspersons and bring their stories to life, capturing the human element behind the competition.