Kenya's track sensation Ferdinand Omanyala has predicted a bright future for the country's sprinters in major international events.
The National Police Service officer fizzled out to a disappointing eighth-place finish in the semifinals of the 2024 Paris Olympics, much to the dismay of his ardent fans who expected him to make the podium.
He clocked 10.08 seconds, despite arriving in the French capital as the second-fastest man this season.
“It's not what we expected. We put many hours into practice and made every effort to leave a mark at the Olympics but things didn't work out according to plan,” Omanyala said.
“Looking at the positive side, we have learned a lot of lessons that will help us achieve greatness in our subsequent performances. I believe we shall register better results in the future,” he added.
Even though his hope of becoming the first ever Kenyan to reach the Olympics 100m final went up in smoke, Omanyala asked his fans to take comfort in the history he made in Paris by cracking a semifinal slot at the Games.
Before the semi-final, Omanyala had exuded confidence that he was a better athlete compared to the Tokyo Olympics and had high hopes of storming the final this year.
He was more impressive in the Japanese capital in 2021, where he set a new personal best and shattered the national record after clocking 10.00 seconds despite failing to secure a spot in the finals.
Omanyala, however, believes his runs in Tokyo and Paris have completely transformed the narrative of Kenyan athletes in the world.
“Like I said earlier, things will never be the same again for Kenya's sprints story. All has changed for the better,” he said.
