 Omanyala at the2022 World Athletics Championships inEugene | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Ferdinand Omanyala Omurwa | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1996-01-02)2 January 1996 (age 29) Hamisi,Vihiga County, Kenya | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Education | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 82 kg (181 lb)[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country | Kenya | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Athletics | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Event(s) | 60 m,100 m,200 m | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personalbests | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Ferdinand Omanyala Omurwa (born 2 January 1996) is a Kenyansprinter competing in the60 metres,100 and200 m. In 2022, he won his first international championships, with victories in the 100 m at theCommonwealth Games, andAfrican Championships in Athletics. Omanyala is theAfrican record holder and the tenth-fastest man of all time in the event after clocking a time of 9.77 seconds on 18 September 2021 inNairobi. He also holds theKenyan national record in the 60 m.
Ferdinand Omanyala Omurwa was born inHamisi as the third son of Dishon and Adelaide Omurwa, though the family settled inTongaren soon afterwards.[2]
In 2015, Omanyala began his athletics career in Kenya as a chemistry student at theUniversity of Nairobi.[2] He made this move after a friend noticed his speed while he was playing rugby. He switched from rugby to track, and only a few weeks later, he ran a time of 10.4 s in his first race inKakamega. The same year, he won the national Olympics trials over the 100 m distance in a time of 10.37 s but never met the qualifying standard for the Olympics, which was 10.16 s.
Following a doping offence in 2017, Omanyala received a 14-month suspension. He tested positive for the prohibited substance betamethasone after undergoing treatment for his back injury, which he got during training.[3][4]
Omanyala won the national title in the 100 metres in 2019.
On 30 March 2021, he set a national record of 10.01 seconds in the 100 m in winning a meeting at Yabatech Sport Complex inLagos, Nigeria.[5] At the2020 Tokyo Olympics 100 metres semi-final in August that year, he set a new national record of 10.00 seconds.[6] Omanyala was 0.04 s behind eventual silver medalistFred Kerley and 0.02 s behind eventual bronze medalistAndre De Grasse. The same month, he ran a new personal best of 9.86 seconds in Austria, becoming the first Kenyan ever to break the10-second barrier.[7] In September, he ran 9.77 seconds (+1.2 m/s) for a new African record at the Absa Kip Keino Classic held inNairobi, Kenya coming in a close second place behindTrayvon Bromell, who ran a world-leading 9.76 s.[8]
In June 2022, Omanyala becameAfrican 100 m champion before he was eliminated in the semi-finals of theWorld Championships held inEugene, Oregon, in July, after arriving at the event only a couple of hours before his first round heat due to visa problems. In August, he claimed Kenya's first gold medal at theBirmingham Commonwealth Games, becoming the first Kenyan to win gold in the 100-metre race in 60 years.[9]
His run up to the2024 Summer Olympics was promising, clocking 10.01 at theFBK Games in the Netherlands.[10] Omanyala served as Kenya's flag bearer alongsideTriza Atuka for the opening ceremony of the Paris games.[11] He was disappointed to only record 10.8 seconds in the semi-finals.[12]
Omanyala is married to Laventa Amutavi, and they have a son.[2] His official sponsors are Odibets, a Kenyan sports betting company.[13]
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | World Relays | Nassau, Bahamas | 7th | 4 × 200 m relay | 1:23.04SB1 |
| 2021 | Olympic Games | Tokyo, Japan | 8th (sf) | 100 m | 10.00NR |
| 2022 | World Indoor Championships | Belgrade, Serbia | 13th (sf) | 60 m i | 6.64 |
| African Championships | Saint Pierre, Mauritius | 1st | 100 m | 9.93 | |
| 30th (h) | 200 m | 21.16 | |||
| 1st | 4 × 100 m relay | 39.28NR | |||
| World Championships | Eugene, OR, United States | 13th (sf) | 100 m | 10.14 | |
| Commonwealth Games | Birmingham, United Kingdom | 1st | 100 m | 10.02 | |
| – | 4 × 100 m relay | DNF | |||
| 2023 | World Championships | Budapest, Hungary | 7th | 100 m | 10.07 |
| 2024 | World Indoor Championships | Glasgow, United Kingdom | 4th | 60 m | 6.56 |
| Olympic Games | Paris, France | 18th (sf) | 100 m | 10.08 | |
| 2025 | World Championships | Tokyo, Japan | 14th (sf) | 100 m | 10.09 |
1Time from the heats; Omanyala was replaced in the final.
As of 8 September 2024, Omanyala holds the following track records for 100 metres.
| Location | Time | Windspeed m/s | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andorf | 9.86 | +0.6 | 14/08/2021 | |
| Gaborone | 9.78 | +2.3 | 29/04/2023 | |
| Germiston | 9.98 | –0.9 | 13/04/2022 | |
| Lahti | 10.09 ditto | +1.8 +0.6 | 19/08/2021 ditto | |
| Saint Pierre | 9.93 | +4.5 | 09/06/2022 | Track record shared with Akani Simbine (RSA) from the same race. |
| Olympic Games | ||
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| Preceded by | Flagbearer for KenyaParis 2024 with Triza Atuka | Succeeded by Incumbent |
Commonwealth Games champions in men's100 metres | |
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| 100 yards (1930–1966) | |
| 100 metres (1970–present) |
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African Champions in men's100 metres | |
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