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Ferdinand Omanyala has revealed the most difficult moment in his life when he thought his career was going to end and how it helped him bounce back stronger.
Reigning Commonwealth Games champion Ferdinand Omanyala has opened up about a difficult moment in his life and how it helped him become even more stronger.
Omanyala, speaking to NBC Sport, explained that when he was suspended for 14 months back in 2017 after testing positive for the prohibited substance glucocorticoid betamethasone, he thought that would be the end of his career.
He explained that incident was unintentional since it came after he had undergone treatment for his back injury which he got during training. At the time, his then coach Duncan Ayiemba, was also suspended for two years for ‘administration or attempted administration of betamethasone’.
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Omanyala explained that at the time, the federation, Athletics Kenya was fighting doping and he was told, ‘You will never represent this country.’
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“I was fighting to come back for like four years and it was really tough. Financially, it was very tough because you have to invest in your physios, your gym, your nutrition, fares, you’re paying for the stadium, and at that time I was not working. I was still a student.
“Things were very, very tough. But I can say, all those challenges really made me who I am today. Now I appreciate how important it is to get a lane in any race. I always tell athletes that anytime you get a lane in a race, it doesn’t matter how big or small race is, you have to make sure that you use that opportunity well because you never know tomorrow,” Omanyala said.
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The 28-year-old added that during the Covid-19 pandemic, things changed for many athletes and they could not get chances to compete. He explained that the experience taught him that life might j just change in the blink of an eye.
Having lived a life with money and without money, Omanyala urged upcoming athletes to ensure they don’t any opportunity for granted and they should always practice humility every time.
Africa’s fastest man also explained that the hardships in his life have taught him that he will always be alone, something that has helped him reduce the number of people around him.
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