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Africa’s fastest man has overcome various obstacles to become one of the world’s most revered sprinters
Ferdinand Omanyala has revealed what pushes him to get better as he eyes further success this year.
Over the last two weeks, Africa’s fastest man has been in good form early in the season and claimed back-to-back wins at the ASA Athletics Grand Prix in Pretoria and Germiston, South Africa.
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09:35 - 21.04.2023
ATHLETICS List of stellar cast Omanyala will be up against at Botswana Golden Grand Prix
Omanyala will be lining up as the fastest in the field with a personal best time of 9.77, the African record time.
Omanyala clocked 10.05 on Wednesday, seven deciseconds faster than his 10.12 in Pretoria last week, and has explained what pushes him to achieve more.
“Talent is a gift, but your attitude, work ethic and character are things you have to develop yourself,” the Commonwealth champion said via a Twitter post.
Omanyala has had to overcome major hurdles to achieve success, starting with the 2020 Olympics where he was nearly locked out of Team Kenya and also came close to missing the World Championship in Eugene, Oregon last year after a visa hitch saw him arrive less than four hours to the start of his race.
His resilience has seen him develop a strong character that has led him to a number of wins to become one of the most talked about sprinters in the world.
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20:04 - 19.04.2023
ATHLETICS Ferdinand Omanyala clinches ASA Grand Prix win, sets ambitious goal for World Championships
The Kenyan sprint sensation was in a class of his own as Imeta finished second.
The 26-year-old was not able to run his desired sub-10 in South Africa but has a chance to make amends at the Botswana Golden Grand Prix on Saturday, April 29.
“I don’t know why the sub-10 is still elusive but we are getting deeper and deeper as we go on and building it up towards the season, we hope we will get it sooner,” he told the media after Wednesday’s race.
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09:50 - 20.04.2023
ATHLETICS ‘Getting better’ - Omanyala delighted with progress after back-to-back wins in South Africa
The Commonwealth champion run seven deciseconds faster at the second leg of the ASA Grand Prix Series to ignite hopes of a sub-10.
“We are on course for the World Champs, we are in April and the times are dipping and by the time we get to July, we are going to get that medal for Africa in July.”
After Botswana, Omanyala will then feature in the Atlanta City Games on Saturday, May 6 before returning home for the Kip Keino Classic at the Kasarani Stadium five days later.
He will follow it up with appearances at the Diamond League before the World Championships in Budapest, Hungry in August.
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