Omanyala eyes 100m, 200m double after Atlanta exploits

Ferdinand Omanyala, the fastest African 100m sprinter is buoyed by the 150m victory at the Atlanta City Games held on May 17 in Georgia, USA.

The Commonwealth Champions sprinted to another historic feat, setting a new African record in the rarely raced 150m.

Omanyala is buoyed by the powerful cruise in Atlanta and he says his 14.70 seconds time meant a lot to his sprinting career.

In Atlanta, he overpowered Bahamian Terrence Jones and homeboy Matthew Boling who settled for the second and third places in 14.93 and 15.15 respectively.

Omanyala, who is fresh from a third place at the Kip Keino Classic in Nairobi on Saturday after timing 10.07 behind Kennedy Lachlan of Australia and Bayanda Wazala of South Africa says he was inspired by the latest African record and is set to race 200m alongside his 100m specialty, in readiness for a double.

“The 150m race was to gauge my ability. We decided to give it a try and see how it goes in terms of numbers (time) and you will see me doing a couple of 200m races from this month,” Omanyala said.

The country’s sprinting sensation said he was looking forward to stepping up the distance from 100m to 200m in one of the Diamond Leagues, which he will gauge his performance as he transitions to the league of sprinters who have made waves in the two sprint distances.

“We want to see how our 200m will look like. We have started seeking from a couple of organisers about taking part in the 200m and we will hit up the news as soon as we get the confirmations,” said Omanyala.

The national record holder in both 100m and 60m indoor said he is getting ready for the Rome Diamond League this Friday where he is set to chase the 100m glory.

But he is yet to get the green light from his management team and event organisers for a 200m clash, which he yearns for this season, since writing history in the 150m dash on May 17.

“After Rome Diamond League, I will have a two-week break and then we will continue with the circuit and then we will take another break in July,” said Omanyala.

In Rome, he is set to face three-time World Champion Fred Kerley of the USA and his compatriot Trayvon Bromell (a two-time world bronze medallist) as well as Cameroon’s Emmanuel Eseme (an All-African champion) among other superstars.