NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 21 – Commonwealth Games 100m champion Ferdinand Omanyala will make his full season Diamond League debut this year, and currently enjoying sublime form, the 26-year old plans to blow up the circuit with his eyes fixated on the Trophy at the end of the season.
Omanyala ran his first ever Diamond League race in Brussels in 2021 where he finished fourth in a time of 10.02secs, but this season, he will be going in to run sub 10s and hopefully battle for the title in the final in Oregon.
“I am targeting to run in Rabat in May, then Rome in June, come back do some races in Kenya then do Monaco and Shanghai and then the final in Oregon where my target is to win the Diamond League final,” a hugely confident Omanyala stated.
He added; “Last season I didn’t do any Diamond League races because there were so many Championships and I chose them over the Diamond League. But this season, there is only one Championship because the Africa Games have been postponed so we have all the time to do the Diamond League.”
“It is a great thing to run in the Diamond League because it is where the top athletes are and for me, I love competition,” he added.
The African record holder has had a brilliant start to the season, twice breaking the national 60m indoor record during competitions in France and he says he feels he is in the best shape of his life.
Last month, he ran a world leading 9.81secs during the Nairobi leg of the Athletics Kenya weekend meets, but the time was not ratified by World Athletics due to an error in the wind reading.
But nonetheless, Omanyala is undeterred with his targets for the season.
“It has been a perfect start to the season. There was a problem with the wind reading (At Nyayo) but I felt really fast. My body is picking up very well and the season is looking good,” Omanyala says.
He adds; “The start has been perfect running 6.5s. Winning two silver label races and one gold label race is something great and for me, when I am running the 60m in 6.5s it’s the best because it is a good time and I am good in the last 50. When the first 50 is perfect then I definitely will do better. The indoor season has done me well,” Omanyala noted.
He will start his season in South Africa next month, where he will hold a training camp as well as running two races on April 12 and 19
