African record holder Omanyala targets fast start in Stellenbosch

Ferdinand Omanyala/ FILE

Africa’s fastest man, Ferdinand Omanyala, is poised to ignite his 2026 outdoor campaign with a 100m dash at the Cape Miller World Athletics Continental Tour Challenger meet in Stellenbosch, South Africa, on Sunday.

Race organisers have confirmed Omanyala as the headline act for Sunday’s showpiece, thrusting the Kenyan sprint king into the spotlight.

“Africa's fastest man in history, Ferdinand Omanyala, brings world-class speed to Stellenbosch. The Kenyan sprint sensation holds the African 100m record (9.77) and is a Commonwealth Games champion, consistently competing with the very best on the global stage,” read a statement from the organisers.

Last season, Omanyala also launched his outdoor campaign on South African soil, lining up at the ASA Athletics Grand Prix 1 and 2 meetings.

His opening outing saw him clock 10.22 to finish third, chasing Karabo Letebele (10.19) and Emile Erasmus (10.19). He, however, shifted gears in the second meet, storming to victory in 10.08 to outkick Tsebo Matsoso (10.12) and Bradley Nkoana (10.16).

Despite that electric start to his 2025 season, the remainder of his campaign failed to hit top gear, as he struggled to dip beneath the coveted 10-second barrier over the 100m. Omanyala still notched notable wins, including victory at the third Uganda National Trials in 10.09, before settling for second place at the FNB Botswana Golden Grand Prix in 10.00.

On the Diamond League circuit, he delivered a mixed bag of results: second in Xiamen (10.13), ninth in Shanghai (10.25), second in Rabat (10.05), third in Rome (10.01) and seventh in the 100m invitational in Brussels (10.49).

His other outings saw him record third place at the Kip Keino Classic (10.07), second place (10.15) at the Johvi meet in Estonia, second place (10.25) at the Serbia athletics meeting and victory at the Andorf meet in Austria (10.03).

Omanyala's season ultimately fizzled out in disappointment at the World Athletics Championships, where he failed to progress beyond the semi-finals after clocking 10.09 for fifth place in his heat.

The 30-year-old has opened his 2026 season on uneven footing. He began indoors, placing eighth in the 60m at the Miramas Metropole meet in 6.86 on January 30.

Eight days later, he showed signs of sharpening form, finishing fourth at the Russian LFK CSKA meeting in 6.66 behind Sunday Akintan (6.48), Konstantin Krylov (6.57), and Dmitriy Ustinov (Russian sprinter) (6.66).

On March 28, Omanyala played a pivotal role as he anchored Kenya’s men’s 4x100m relay team to silver at the Lefika International Relays in Botswana. Running alongside Boniface Mweresa, Ronald Koech, and Meshack Babu, the quartet clocked 39.12 to finish behind Nigeria’s 38.98. He also featured in the mixed 4x100m relay team alongside Millicent Ndoro, Mweresa, and Mercy Oketch, with the Kenyan squad clinching silver in 41.70, again behind Nigeria (41.44).