Veteran sprints coach explains why Ferdinand Omanyala struggles at major championships

Veteran sprints coach explains why Ferdinand Omanyala struggles at major championships

Joel Omotto 09:50 - 09.10.2024

Veteran sprints coach Stephen Mwaniki has shed light on what could be affecting Ferdinand Omanyala’s performances when he gets to World Championships and Olympics.

Ferdinand Omanyala has been advised to consider having psychologists on his team to help him overcome his struggles at major championships.

Omanyala endured yet another disappointment at a major event when he failed to make it to the final at the Paris 2024 Olympics, this coming after another semi-final exit at the 2020 Games, and a seventh place finish in the final at the 2023 World Championships.

This, despite posting some impressive times in other events, while also being the Commonwealth champion and Africa’s fastest man.

“Those who handle him need to look into it very critically because he was in Oregon that was a problem, although he had an issue with the visa, but he was in Budapest, Hungary (2023) the same thing happened now this Olympics and also in Tokyo 2020 Olympics,” veteran sprints coach Stephen Mwaniki told Pulse Sports.

“They need to look into it, and find out what it is it that is happening when he goes to major events especially World Championships and Olympics. He has been to Commonwealth Games and did very well but these bigger events where we have the Americans and these big guns, I don’t know what normally happens.”

Mwaniki, who worked with Omanyala during the formative years of his career, feels the sprinter might be having a difficult time dealing with pressure when he gets to the critical stages of major events and that is why he needs to complement his training with the help of psychologists to enable him overcome it.

“Maybe we need to have good psychologists maybe to handle him because when you go to that level, there is a lot of pressure because why is it that when he went to Commonwealth Games, he got a gold medal, to African championships he has been doing very well, but now to major championships like the World Championships and Olympics, something needs to be done,” he added.

“He is always at the top with those other guys at the preliminary rounds but now handling the semis and finals they need to look into it very critically, maybe it is psychological.

“At the Olympics, Noah Lyles posted the time that Omanyala was able to post here in Nairobi of 9.79 when he won gold so I don’t get it. I think there is something psychological they need to look into and it is not about training. The pressure there is not like what we have at Commonwealth or African Championships.”