Meet Ferdinand Omanyala, fastest African who hopes to win nation's first 100m Olympic gold by beating Noah Lyles and more at Paris Olympics 2024

By Zahid Rashid Dar

Modified Jul 09, 2024 06:10 GMT

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Ferdinand Omanyala is the fastest African man of all time over the 100m distance with his personal best of 9.77s. The African champion clocked the timing in 2021 and is significantly faster than reigning world champion Noah Lyles’ personal best of 9.83s. The two are set to clash at the Paris Olympics 2024, and while the American looks in better form, Omanyala does have the caliber to throw a surprise.

Omanyala was an active rugby player in his early life but made the move to athletics when a friend noticed his speed. He started his sprinting career in the latter part of 2015 and ran a time of 10.4s in his first race only. Although he won the Kenyan National Trials in 2016 in 10.37s, he didn't meet the qualifying standard of 10.16s to become eligible for competition at the Rio Olympics.

The 28-year-old received a 14-month doping suspension in 2017. Two years later, he won the 100m national title in 2019 and later qualified for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Though he didn't win medals, he clocked 10.00 for third place in the finals.

In 2021, Ferdinand Omanyala set the African 100m record in the 100m with a blistering run at the Kipkeino Classic. His time of 9.77s also marks the ninth fastest time in history. A year later, Omanyala won his first major international medal, securing gold at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. With a time of 10.02s, he also became the first Kenyan to win a 100m gold medal.

In 2023, Omanyala clocked a best of 9.84s over the 100m but did not win any medals at the World Championships. Despite this, he has demonstrated strong form this year, at one point leading the world rankings before being surpassed by Jamaica's Kishane Thompson.

Can Ferdinand Omanyala challenge Noah Lyles’ 100m gold dream?

Day 2 - World Athletics Championships Budapest 2023

Both career-wise and in the 2024 season, Ferdinand Omanyala has run faster than Noah Lyles. While the American has a season’s best of 9.83s this season, Omanyala has run the 2nd fastest time of the year in 9.79s.

When these two times are taken into consideration, he emerges as the favorite ahead of Lyles. However, his only concern is the lack of consistency. Omanyala produces three to four blistering runs every year, where the time is near around 9.80s. However, for the rest of the season, he barely manages to cross the 10s mark.

Noah Lyles on the other hand is a tad slower but insanely consistent. He keeps hovering around that low 9.8 mark and could go sub 9.8 as well this year. If Ferdinand Omanyala can save his best for the Olympics, he does have a bright chance of beating Lyles.