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The sprint sensation has already achieved what no Kenyan had managed before in 100m and the country can only feel proud of him with the 2024 Olympics around the corner.
Africa’s fastest man Ferdinand Omanyala met his waterloo at the 2023 World Athletics Championships when he finished seventh in the 100m final.
It was a disappointing end to a race and event that promised so much for the African record holder. He had done everything within his power to stay in great form and shape ahead of the World Championships in Budapest, Hungary.
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22:30 - 23.08.2023
ATHLETICS Shock as Kenya misses out on podium in 1500m final
Great Britain's Josh Kerr clinches victory, holding off favorite Jakob Ingebrigtsen, while Kenya's Kipsang settles for fourth in intense 1500m showdown in 2023 World Championships.
Omanyala had stayed on the coattails of his rivals all season, beating some of them, and all hopes were that he would make history by winning not only Kenya’s first 100m medal at the Worlds but also Africa’s.
As it turned out, Africa ended its drought with Botswana sprint sensation Letsile Tebogo winning silver but Kenya and Omanyala ended up empty-handed.
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14:30 - 23.08.2023
ATHLETICS 'I was chasing history' - Faith Kipyegon reveals the tactics she used to neutralise her rivals in 1,500m final
The three-time world champion opted to run from the front from start to finish and it worked wonders as she left her competitors fighting for second and third place
“I would have done better. But I don’t dwell on the past…it’s gone and we can’t go back in time and change anything. I want to focus and move on,” said Omanyala after the race, opting to focus on the future.
“My body wasn't just firing from the semi-final as it did in the heats. We just have to go back and see what happened and see where to correct and see what to do best next time,” he added.
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16:00 - 21.08.2023
Mark Otieno offers Omanyala shoulder to lean on after Budapest disaster
He, unfortunately, fizzled out to finish a disappointing seventh and cross the finish line in 10.01.
A number of reasons have been given for Omanyala’s failure to finish on the podium with poor tactics among those cited.
For starters, he squeezed into the final by sheer luck after finishing in third place in the semi-final and had an agonising wait before he went through as one of the fastest losers after defending champion Fred Kerley shockingly missed out.
In the final, he did not have the best starts in the ninth lane and never recovered as American Noah Lyles, Tebogo and Great Britain’s Zharnel Hughes completed the podium.
But poor tactics or not, Omanyala can feel proud of himself having conquered where no Kenyan has done before,
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20:00 - 22.08.2023
Smiling to the bank: Mouthwatering cash Ferdinand Omanyala will earn for 7th place finish in Budapest
Omanyala opted to stay optimistic after the match, wearing a broad smile, as if to suggest that it was not all doom and gloom considering the amount of money he is set to earn.
The 27-year-old simply broke the glass ceiling since 100m is not a race Kenyans have ever had a chance in with Americans and runners from Caribbean nations dominating the distance.
So, to go into the World Championships as an 100m medal prospect was already an achievement in itself even if the ultimate goal was not achieved.
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10:00 - 24.08.2023
ATHLETICS: The two boys carrying Kenya's hope for 800m Gold dabble into semis tonight
The men's 800m semifinal race will begin at 9:50 p.m. East African Time.
The fact that Omanyala has taken on Americans and Jamaicans, and beaten some of them, while posting some of the best times in the world with not as much support and facilities as what they have is a testament to the heights he has hit.
Omanyala finished third at the Rabat Diamond League behind winner Kerley and South African Akani Simbine before improving to second place in Florence when the former world champion also won.
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09:32 - 21.08.2023
ATHLETICS Ferdinand Omanyala reveals what cost him a medal at World Championships
Omanyala fizzled out to finish a disappointing seventh as Botswana’s wonder kid Letsile Tebogo made history.
The African champion then finished second in Paris behind Lyles, before winning his first Diamond League race in Monaco last month. That was after winning the Kip Keino Classic in Nairobi in May.
He is already the first Kenyan to break the 10-second barrier in 100m, reached the semi-final at the Olympics, and won the country’s first Commonwealth gold over the distance in the Games’ 60-year history.
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10:00 - 23.08.2023
ATHLETICS The millions Faith Kipyegon earned from winning Kenya’s first gold medal in Budapest
The three-time world 1,500m champion boosted her bank balance by tens of millions on Tuesday following her victory at the 2023 World Athletics Championships
With all these, Omanyala should be celebrated more which will give him the impetus to right his wrongs at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
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