Africa’s fastest man has opened up about the 2024 season, noting that it was more of a learning curve as he aims to make a resounding comeback in 2025.
The Kenyan sprinting ace changed coaches after completing his 2023 season and was looking forward to a change in his 2024 but he had a mixed one. was hoping to impress at the but unfortunately could not get to the final of the race after finishing eighth in the semifinal.
The Commonwealth Games champion, however, ended his season as the fastest man in the world with the 9.79 seconds that he ran at the Kenyan Olympic trials. also performed well in a series of Diamond League Meetings and other local meets before rounding up his season.
Laventa Amutavi, Ferdinand Omanyala's partner, has opened up about the challenges married women in sport face and pointed out that parents should allow children to follow their own passions without pressure.
picked up the positives and counted his losses and as he heads to the in Tokyo, Japan, he will be looking to display even much better performances.
“This year has been more about learning because we changed a lot of techniques, and technical aspects of my career so it’s been more of learning and understanding my body better so I can get into the right physical state. I would say it has been an up-and-down season but that’s life,” Ferdinand Omanyala said.
“Of course, I feel proud, the world has over six billion people so finishing as the second-fastest man in the world is a feeling that I take pride in and it shows what I’m doing is good because if I compete in the whole world, it shows that I’m in a very good position,” he added.
further explained that he failed to achieve some of his goals but that does not mean he can’t move forward and keep shooting for the stars. The 28-year-old revealed that he has come from far and would not give up with a mere setback.
He opened up about feeling like giving up but explained that the world would not stop and wait for him to feel better hence the strength to always keep working hard. He added that everything that happened this season was bound to happen and he picked up the lessons as he looks forward to a better 2025.
“When you set goals and fail to achieve them, of course, you feel disappointed but that doesn’t make me give up because I’m here for a reason and the thing I’m doing, I’m passionate about it. The most important thing about the journey is to get back up and continue…that’s something that has always kept me going,” Ferdinand Omanyala said.
World Athletics has announced the nominees for the 2024 Women’s and Men’s Track Athlete of the Year, with six finalists in each category, and voting is open until October 27.
“At some point, I felt like giving up but remembered where I had come from and saw where God had brought me from, it doesn’t justify sulking. I wouldn’t say that something didn’t work for me, everyone is always learning on the job and It doesn’t matter the position that I’m in. I learnt that life has to go on and it doesn’t matter the situation that you’re in as a person and doesn’t matter what situation you are in as a person.”