Kenya: Omanyala Eyes Podium Finish At World Relay Championships

Nairobi — Commonwealth Games 100m champion Ferdinand Omanyala says one of his key aims this year is to shine at the World Relay Championships in Nassau, Bahamas in May this year.

Omanyala said he does not want to merely participate at the biennial competition but to compete and make it to the final.

“I am really passionate about team sports and I am really hoping we can push the 4x100m relay team to the Olympics. We need to get that team to the World Relays on May 4 and get to the finals. I hope my teammates are working as hard as I am because we need to work as a team,” the African 100m champion said.

The World Relays will be held for the fourth time in the Caribbean island since its inception in 2014, with the best performers qualifying for the summer Olympics in Paris and next year’s World Championships in Tokyo.

Omanyala encouraged his potential teammates to up the ante in their training to make this dream a reality.

“We need to work as a team and make sure we take that team to the Olympics because once we make it to the final, we will qualify for Paris as well as the World Championships. Of course, it will be fun and games to go out there and participate but we are past that level of simply participating in competitions,” he said.

Omanyala added: “We are looking at a situation where we want to go out there and be seen as competitors. I hope that all my teammates are really putting that in mind and we have the same goals and dreams in mind.”

Omanyala already boasts a relay title won at the 2022 African championships in Reduit, Mauritius – along with Mike Mokamba, Samwel Imeta and Dan Kiviasi in the men’s 4x100m.

At the last edition of the World Relay Championships in 2021 in Silesia, Poland, Kenya finished third on the team standings with 24 points – 13 behind winners Poland and nine behind second-placed Italy.

On the medal standings they finished sixth with three medals – two silver in the 4x200m men’s relay and 2x2x400m mixed relay as well as a bronze in the shuttle hurdles mixed relay.