Ferdinand Omanyala acknowledges Kenyan women’s dominance in athletics and has urged his male counterparts to step up and focus on their performances.
Ferdinand Omanyala has admitted that Kenyan women perform better than men when it comes to international events and challenged his male counterparts to pull up their socks.
For instance, at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest, Hungary, Faith Kipyegon and Mary Moraa were the only athletes who won gold medals. Moraa claimed the 800m gold as Kipyegon won a double in the 1500m and 5000m.
Beatrice Chepkoech won a silver in the women’s 3000m steeplechase while Beatrice Chebet and Faith Cherotich claimed bronze medals in the 5000m and steeplechase respectively.
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Ferdinand Omanyala has revealed his balanced approach to sprinting rivalries as he also shared his strong bond with Letsile Tebogo, Noah Lyles, Akani Simbine and others.
Daniel Simiu won Kenya’s first silver medal, in the 10,000m, before Emmanuel Wanyonyi settled for a silver in the 800m. Abraham Kibiwott and Jacob Krop won bronze medals in the 3000m steeplechase and the 5000m respectively.
At the Paris Olympic Games, things were no different as Beatrice Chebet won the gold medals in the 10,000m and 5000m with Faith Kipyegon taking gold in the 1500m and winning silver in the 5000m. Faith Cherotich, Mary Moraa and Hellen Obiri claimed bronze medals each.
Emmanuel Wanyonyi won Kenya’s gold medal in the 800m as Ronald Kwemoi won a silver in the 5000m. Abraham Kibiwott and Benson Kipruto claimed bronze medals.
“It’s been happening for a while but it now doubles down to individual performance…like for me, I have to work really hard to ensure I get a medal for the country and then another person in the 200m, 400m and all that put together,” Ferdinand Omanyala said.
He added that athletes should not put a lot of pressure on themselves when they lose races and their main focus should always be on what they can do to bounce back.
Ferdinand Omanyala has been a victim of such incidences and he admitted that losing races can get into one’s head but he has learnt how to deal with it after a series of setbacks.
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Letsile Tebogo reflected on his career’s turning point, winning his first global gold in Nairobi.
For instance, Kenyans expected him to show up at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest, Hungary but he faded to a seventh-place finish. Ferdinand Omanyala was also a favourite to succeed at the Paris Olympic Games but he even failed to get to the final.
“If you dwell so much on the loss, you might not experience the win. You need to have that strong mentality that there’s always a better tomorrow after the losses,” Ferdinand Omanyala advised.
“I snapped out of it…Na tuwache kujihurumia (we should do away with self-pity). As a sportsman, you should be ready to move on to the next day since it can’t come to you,” he added.
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The three-time world champion insists that Elaine Thompson-Herah and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce still have plenty more to offer the world.
He also urged the young and upcoming athletes who look up to him not to forget their purpose. He revealed that most people are always focused on becoming exactly like him and they forget to focus on charting their paths.
“For the upcoming athletes who want to be like me, focus on being yourselves because our destinies are different and your path will be a different one,” he shared.
“Don’t want to be like Omanyala and of course, consistency and discipline have to be there…also have mental strength.”
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Both Sha’Carri Richardson and Usain Bolt reveal a shared truth about the unseen journey to fleeting Olympics moments.
This season, Ferdinand Omanyala wants to go one step better at the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo, Japan. From the tons of experiences he has gotten from his international races, Omanyala will be a top contender.
