TOKYO, Japan, Jul 31 – Sprinter Ferdinand Omanyala reckons that running under 10seconds is now on the horizon at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics after a stellar dash which saw him equal his 10.01second national record.
“It feels good to qualify for the semis and tomorrow is what will determine my intended goal for a medal. I will give it my best shot,” an elated Omanyala said mere moments after he crossed the finish line third in heat one which was won by Canada’s Andre de Grasse.
“I have had a good start in my heat. I honestly feel that I can now run faster in the semis,” added Omanyala, who qualified in Nairobi during national trials where he broke the national record.
“I am now counting my blessings. I have equalled my national record which to me is a perfect start to my Olympic dream.”
Omanyala has in the meantime described his fairytale Tokyo appearance “a dream come true”.
“I want insist that in life you should never give up. Although you may experience tribulations and heavy blows, the most important thing is to focus. They is exactly what I did. I’m happy to be here because it is a dream come true.”
“Feeling your presence at the blocks and starting with the big names is such an amazing experience. Then again qualifying to the next level of the race again is out of this world. I want to thank local fans for giving me moral support. I will not let anyone down. My target is to run under 10 and qualify for the final God willing.”
Omanyala described the track in Tokyo as extremely fast.
“It’s really a fast track. I even thought at some point I had won as these guys were with me. It went how it went so tomorrow is another big day.”
–10-second barrier–
The 10-second barrier is the physical and psychological barrier of completing the 100 metres sprint in under ten seconds.
The achievement was traditionally regarded as the hallmark of a world-class sprinter and Omanyala is not taking it for granted. Its significance has become less important since the late 1990s, as an increasing number of runners have surpassed the 10-second mark.
The current men’s world record holder is Usain Bolt, who ran a 9.58 at the 2009 World Championships competition.
Carl Lewis was the first man to run under ten seconds at low altitude.
After the 1977 rule change, Jim Hines’ nine-year-old 9.95 was the only recognised sub-10-second race.
That year the barrier was broken again, when Silvio Leonard ran 9.98 seconds on 11 August 1977. Both of these marks were recorded at a high altitude, which aids performance due to lower air resistance.
-Alex Isaboke is reporting from Tokyo, Japan-
