Kenyan sprinter Ferdinand Omanyala posted the fastest men’s 100m in the world this year with a time of 9.85 seconds as he delivered a show-stopping end to this year’s Kip Keino Classic on Saturday evening.
However, many believe the fast-rising sprinter is yet to showcase his best performance but great improvement and the African recordholder says he is now ready to claim a major global title this year.
“I have improved and I am getting better and better because I have been taking part in high-calibre championships,
Olympic Games (last year in Tokyo), the Diamond League as well as the World Indoor Championships. I am ready for silverware,” he said.
A buoyant Omanyala now says he feels this is the right time to deliver the required results with the World Athletics Championships that will be held from July 15 to 24 in Eugene, Oregon, United States of America and the Commonwealth Games are scheduled for July 28 to August 8 in Birmingham, England around the corner.
“I want to face the best at the world championship, and beat them on their own turf,” he added, noting that it will be another opportunity to show that Kenyans can sprint.
During the Kip Keino Classic on Saturday the men’s race was programmed to be the last event of the day thanks and the University of Nairobi student did not disappoint.
Omanyala, who ran 9.77 seconds here last year when he finished second behind Trayvon Bromell, found a great start off the blocks and never ceded his advantage in what turned into a duel with Kerley.
The men’s 100m had suffered from the star exit of Olympic champion Lamont Marcell Jacobs who withdrew from the line-up at the last minute because of intestinal problems.
That left meant there would be no Olympic rematch between him and Fred Kerley, the American whom he denied gold in Tokyo last summer but Omanyala provided the defining moment with a scorching performance in Kasarani.
The top four men all ran season bests with Kerley finishing second in 9.92 while Isaiah Young (10.13) and Hendricho Bruintjies (10.13) were third and fourth, respectively.
Omanyala now aims for three gold medals from the Africa Senior Championships scheduled for June 8 to 12 in Mauritius where he will compete in 100m, 200m and 4x100m.
On the same note, the African champion has made it clear he wants to get rid of Usain Bolt’s 100m world record and Omanyala believes the time is ripe.