A week after storming the Monaco Diamond League title, Commonwealth Games 100 metres champion Ferdinand Omanyala has pledged another masterclass act in Andorf, Austria.
The Kenyan sprints star will dare his rivals to an abrasive duel at the International Josko Running Meeting in the European nation on Saturday night.
Omanyala, 27, heads into the race high on confidence after opening a new chapter in history as the first Kenyan to win a 100 metres race in the Diamond League last Friday.
The National Police Service officer dug deep to snap the tape in 9.92, a tenth of a second ahead of the World Under-20 champion Letsile Tebogo from Botswana in a scintillating display of prowess.
"This will be my final race before the World Championships in Budapest, Hungary next month," Omanyala said.
“I thereafter plan to head straight to the national team's pre-Olympics training camp in Miramas to spruce up for the job that awaits me in Budapest,” Omanyala said.
He punched a ticket to the quadrennial premier global athletics extravaganza after obliterating a rich field to bag the 2023 Monaco Diamond League race.
Omanyala said he will not be navigating unfamiliar seas in Austria, where he proved his mettle and basked in glory two years ago.
It was in Austria that he ran his first ever sub-10 in 2021 after running a 9.96 at the semis before timing 9.86 in the finals to set a new national record.
He has no intentions whatsoever to return to Nairobi after the World Championships given he will instantly shift focus to the Diamond League Final scheduled for September 16-17 in Oregon, USA.
He is well aware of the high expectations the entire world places on his shoulders. On Friday, the American athletics icon Michael Johnson tipped the Kenyan gem to break the glass ceiling and crack a milestone as the first African to tuck away a medal at the World Championships.
“I said it before. I believe Omanyala will be the first African to win a 100m World Championships medal. His muscular structure provides tremendous power but do any coaches or sport science experts out there think it could become a limiting factor in his ability to sprint efficiently?” Johnson posted.
