Who is Ferdinand Omanyala's current coach and why did he replace Duncan Ayiemba? Everything about the man behind Africa's fastest man

By Soumik Bhattacharya

Modified Jul 19, 2024 14:28 GMT

The coaching camp of Ferdinand Omanyala, the 2022 Commonwealth Games gold medalist, experienced a major change last year after he replaced Duncan Ayiemba with Geoffrey Kimani as coach. This came after a major fall in the standards that Omanyala had set for himself in the last couple of years.

In a recent interview, Omanyala elaborated on his performance across the last sessions and stated that it was the major motivation for him to savor a potential replacement for his former coach, Duncan Ayiemba.

In a conversation with Star, he stated:

"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 appreciated the work of his new coach, Kimani saying:

"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."

Kimani has been one of the most successful coaches in the world of athletics. He has had some major stints with top teams and has held key positions in the Kenyan sporting circuit. His major assignments with Kenyan teams include the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo and he was also working behind the scenes with the side ahead of the 2016 edition of the quadrennial Games in Rio.

Besides, he has also been a strength and conditioning consultant for various sides such as Kenya Rugby Sevens, Uganda Rugby Sevens, and Mathare United Soccer team. Before joining forces with Omanyala, Kimani was also at the forefront of the coaching staff of the Kenyan Youth team during the 2021 Commonwealth Games and 2022 Youth Olympics.

Kimani has also worked with training programs designed to help Athletics coaches in Kenya with strength and conditioning. He has also been a coach at the Youth Games level for Kenya. He has thus worked both with athletes and coaches and is a highly experienced coach. Off the track, Kimani is a World Athletics and Sprints and Hurdles lecturer.

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All you need to know about Ferdinand Omanyala's 2024 season so far

Ferdinand Omanyala during the 2022 Commonwealth Games (Image via Getty Images0

Following a change in his coaching staff, Ferdinand Omanyala has experienced major changes in his fortunes after a rough 2023 season. The 28-year-old has had various successful meets throughout the season so far.

However, perhaps his most positive moment during the season came at the recently concluded Kenyan National Trials for the Olympics, held in Nairobi. During the event, Omanyala registered his season's best so far in the men's 100m event, with a time of 9.79 seconds.

His other major performances in the 100m include a top podium finish at the FBK Games in Hangelo and a second and third-placed finish at the Prefontaine Classic and Racers Grand Prix in Kingston, respectively.

Besides, the Kenyan also has had major successes in the men's 60m discipline including his title-winning performances at the Meeting De Paris and the Elite Indoor Track Miramas meeting.