NAIROBI, Kenya, June 26 – Commonwealth Games 100m champion Ferdinand Omanyala has allayed fears he may be burnt out and fatigued at August’s World Championships in Budapest as a result of competing in too many races.
Omanyala said he remains fresh and ready to take on any race with less than two months to the global showpiece in the Hungarian capital where he will be hoping to unseat American Fred Kerley as the world champion.
“I am completely fine because I have run in three races and I feel like I can do another. Obviously the team around me know what they are doing. The coach knows what he is doing…my job is to turn up, show up and to perform,” Omanyala said.
The African 100m champion has been a busy man on track since the beginning of the year, competing at various international and national assignments including World Indoor Tour, Athletics South Africa (ASA) Grand Prix, Kip Keino Classic World Athletics Continental Tour, Athletics Kenya Track and Field Weekend Meeting, three Diamond League races as well as the national championships, among others.
Africa’s fastest man is preparing to compete at the Monaco Diamond League on July 21, less than a month before Budapest welcomes hundreds of athletes to the city for the World Championships.
Omanyala added that he has overcome any fatigue issues he had at the onset during which he struggled to deal with regular travel around the globe for different competitions.
“Previously, I was bit fatigued because of the regular travelling…I was in five different zones in one month. But by the time we go to Monaco, I will have gotten enough rest (after a one-month break)…that race will provide the clearest picture of what to expect in Budapest,” he said.
The national 60m record holder further spoke of his desire to make Africa proud at the global stage by making it to the podium.
“It’s not like it’s something impossible to do…it has been done before by humans with the same blood as ours. I want to go and make Africa proud at the World Championships…the goal is to get there and get on the podium by winning a medal,” he said.
His latest race was at Saturday’s AK National Championships at Nyayo Stadium where he clocked 9.96 to win the men’s 100m, ahead of Meshack Babu (10.05) and Hesbon Ochieng (10.58).
Omanyala described the result as an indicator that his hard work in training is paying off.
“We began intensive training last week and clocking a sub-10 shows that it is already paying off. I was not expecting to clock a sub-10 today. So, we will go back to intensive training ahead of Monaco and then reduce it to a light training because we are not taking any chances with the World Championships,” he said.
Omanyala concluded that he was elated and proud to have won a national title for his employers, the National Police Service.
