Commonwealth Games 100m champion Ferdinand Omanyala said his thirst to win an Olympic medal informed his decision to change his trainer.
Omanyala was scared the quadrennial games would find him unfit for a podium finish if he did nothing drastic to turn around his fortunes.
“I’ve very little time to strain my targets. I’m here for a short time and I know if I don’t maximise my time, I might not perform according to my expectations in Paris,” Omanyala remarked.
“I don’t want to proceed to the Olympic season with a lot of doubts in my mind because such a situation is bound to impact negatively on my performance.”
It is for this reason that Omanyala made a bold step to turn to renowned strength and conditioning coach Geoffrey Kimani in a frantic bid to turn around his fortunes after he spent several years honing his sprinting skills under Duncan Ayiemba.
He felt disconcerted by the persistent fluctuation in his performance and there was a need for him to find stability.
“My performance was not consistent. For the last two seasons, I noticed that I could kick off my campaign on a high note only to fizzle out at crucial moments,” he added.
Omanyala turned to Kimani following a tete-a-tete they had during a pre-Olympics camp in the preceding year.
“I worked with coach Kim in the Pre-Olympic camp and I learnt a lot (from him). We made an effort to bring him into our club to help other athletes, but we experienced a challenge in the process,” Omanyala said.
He has been forced to adapt to a new experience given the rigorous and high-intensity training regimen he is being taken through by his new tactician.
“It’s like a culture shock, something I’ve never experienced before. It was a difficult first week and I was on the verge of quitting and returning to my previous state. But having a strong mindset was helpful,” he observed.
The African champion almost threw in the towel in despair after experiencing a rough patch but his strong resolve helped him to hang on.
“My new coach took me through some steps I’ve never been through. It reached a point where I found myself throwing up at a training session. I felt I had had enough and even asked for an ambulance,” Omanyala revealed.
“I’m glad I’ve finally managed to keep up with his strides. What inspires me even more is that I’m no longer scared of getting the lactic before I cross the finish line. It’s been great.”
