Ferdinand Omanyalla reflects on his 2024 season.

Ferdinand Omanyala, Africa’s fastest man, has shared his reflections on the 2024 season, describing it as a learning experience as he sets his sights on a strong comeback in 2025.

The Kenyan sprinting star made a coaching change after wrapping up his 2023 season, hoping for a different outcome in 2024. 

However, his season had its ups and downs. 

Omanyala aimed to make an impact at the Paris Olympic Games but fell short, finishing eighth in the semifinals and missing out on the final.

Despite this setback, the Commonwealth Games champion concluded his season as the world’s fastest man, clocking 9.79 seconds at the Kenyan Olympic trials. 

Omanyala also put in solid performances at various Diamond League Meetings and local meets throughout the season.

Looking ahead to the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo, Japan, Ferdinand Omanyala is eager to showcase even better performances, building on the positives and learning from any setbacks.

“This year has been more about learning because we changed a lot of techniques, and technical aspects of my career so it’s been more of learning and understanding my body better so I can get into the right physical state. I would say it has been an up-and-down season but that’s life,” Ferdinand Omanyala said.

“Of course, I feel proud, the world has over six billion people so finishing as the second-fastest man in the world is a feeling that I take pride in and it shows what I’m doing is good because if I compete in the whole world, it shows that I’m in a very good position,” he added.

Ferdinand Omanyala further explained that he failed to achieve some of his goals but that does not mean he can’t move forward and keep shooting for the stars. The 28-year-old revealed that he has come from far and would not give up with a mere setback.

He opened up about feeling like giving up but explained that the world would not stop and wait for him to feel better hence the strength to always keep working hard. He added that everything that happened this season was bound to happen and he picked up the lessons as he looks forward to a better 2025.

“When you set goals and fail to achieve them, of course, you feel disappointed but that doesn’t make me give up because I’m here for a reason and the thing I’m doing, I’m passionate about it. The most important thing about the journey is to get back up and continue…that’s something that has always kept me going,” Ferdinand Omanyala said.

“At some point, I felt like giving up but remembered where I had come from and saw where God had brought me from, it doesn’t justify sulking. I wouldn’t say that something didn’t work for me, everyone is always learning on the job and It doesn’t matter the position that I’m in. I learnt that life has to go on and it doesn’t matter the situation that you’re in as a person and doesn’t matter what situation you are in as a person.”

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