© Ferdinand Omanyala
© Ferdinand Omanyala

American sprint legend fancies Omanyala to win a medal at the World Athletics Championship

Reading Time: 2min | Mon. 01.05.23. | 20:38

Johnson is a multiple four time Olympic champion and eight times World champion

Former American sprinter Michael Johnson opines that Kenya's sprint sensation Ferdinand Omanyala has the best chance to win a medal at this year's World Athletics Championship in Budapest, Hungary.

In a social media post, the 55-year-old noted that although no male athlete representing an African country has won a medal at the stage over the distance, the Kenyan has a better chance to do so this year provided he continues preparing well by competing against the best consistently.

"No male athlete representing an African country has ever medaled at a World Championship in the 100m. @Ferdiomanyala has the best chance this year. He must continue to compete well against the best consistently over the next few months to produce a medal performance in Budapest," Johnson wrote.

On Saturday, Omanyala showed his class in a star-studded field at the Botswana Continental Gold Tour meeting held in Gaborone as he dipped below ten seconds to win the windy 100m race, clocking 9.78s.

Johnson won four Olympic gold medals, and eight World Championships, and at some point held both the World and Olympic records over 200m set in 1996 before Usain Bolt obliterated both.

He also held the World Record over the 400m for almost 17 years since 1999 before South Africa's Wayde van Niekerk bettered it in 2016.

However, misfortune befell him five years ago when he suffered a stroke that had left him unable to walk.


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