Africa’s fastest man, Ferdinand Omanyala, will headline Saturday’s Kip Keino Classic at Ulinzi Sports Complex, aiming to run his first sub-10 seconds of the season and reaffirm his dominance on home soil.
Omanyala, 29, is yet to break the 10-second barrier this year, but in the final event of the evening — the men’s 100m — he hopes to achieve the milestone before heading to his fourth Diamond League appearance in Rome next week.
“It’s my wish to finally run sub-10 this season before moving into my fourth Diamond League race next week in Rome,” said Omanyala, who has won the Kip Keino Classic twice.
He heads into the race after clocking 10.05 seconds for a second-place finish at the Rabat Diamond League last weekend, just a week after breaking both the African and national 150m records at the Atlanta City Games.
Saturday marks Omanyala’s first-ever 100m race at Ulinzi Sports Complex and a chance to bounce back from last year’s disappointing fifth-place finish at Nyayo Stadium.
His biggest threat comes from South Africa’s rising star Bayanda Walaza, who has made headlines for boldly declaring: “I don’t line up to come second.”
Omanyala, however, brushed off the talk, choosing instead to praise the youngster while reminding all that the field is deep with talent.
“I understand the kid is excited and he has the time. But I won’t be dragged into a back-and-forth because there are eight lanes — and everyone who lines up is tough,” he said.
The Commonwealth Games champion is also hoping weather conditions don’t dampen his plans this year, as they did in last year’s rainy edition.
Joining the stacked lineup in the 7:52 pm showdown are South Africa’s Shaun Maswanganyi, Australia’s Lachlan Kennedy, and Kenya’s Mark Otieno Odhiambo.
Omanyala is counting on a raucous home crowd and a dry track to deliver what he has promised will be a “showstopper.”
