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Ferdinand Omanyala has responded to American competitors Kenny Bednarek, Noah Lyles and Fred Kerley after their aimed jibes at him following his fifth place at Kip Keino Classic.
Ferdinand Omanyala, Africa's fastest man, has responded to the playful trolling he received from American sprinters Kenny Bednarek, Noah Lyles, and Fred Kerley after finishing fifth in the Absa Kip Keino Classic held at Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi.
Before the race, Omanyala confidently declared that no one could beat him on his home turf, emphasising that Africans like to "take care of their lands."
However, the race did not go as planned for him. Amidst two false starts and rainy conditions, Omanyala could only manage a fifth-place finish with a time of 10.03 seconds. Meanwhile, Bednarek secured victory with a time of 9.91 seconds.
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19:58 - 20.04.2024
Lyles, Bednarek & Kerley brutally troll Omanyala following dismal outing at Kip Keino Classic
Noah Lyles and Fred Kerley are among those who have trolled Kenya's Ferdinand Omanyala after losing the Kip Keino Classic to Bednarek.
In response to Omanyala's pre-race comments, Bednarek humorously tweeted, "I just bought land in Kenya."
Fred Kerley joined the banter by posting three skull emojis, expressing his amusement at the exchange. Noah Lyles, the reigning 100m and 200m world champion, also chimed in with a light-hearted tweet, sharing a laughing emoji accompanied by a GIF captioned "and I oop."
Despite the disappointing performance and the teasing from his competitors, Omanyala remained undeterred.
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18:34 - 20.04.2024
American Kenneth Bednarek stuns Ferdinand Omanyala on home soil to claim Kip Keino Classic 100m victory
Omanyala had to settle for fifth place while Bednarek, who was on form heading into this event, finished first in a race overshadowed by the rainy conditions at Nyayo.
Speaking to the media after the race, he acknowledged the playful banter but emphasised his focus on the long season ahead.
“Sprints is all about showboating so whatever he [Bednarek] said is okay but this season we're going in differently. We're having so many races ahead so let's see,” Omanyala said.
Omanyala's next challenge will be at the World Relays in the Bahamas on Saturday, May 4, and Sunday, May 5, where he is set to compete against Lyles and Bednarek once again.
It remains to be seen how he will bounce back from his performance in Nairobi and whether he can make a strong statement in the upcoming competitions.
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11:50 - 20.04.2024
Why Mark Otieno is excited about upcoming Bahamas World Relay championships
This is the first national team call-up Otieno has earned since returning from a two-year doping ban last August.
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