How coach Ayiemba restored Omanyala’s sub-10 form in eight months
Reading Time: 3min | Tue. 19.05.26. | 13:31
Omanyala struggled for form while under the guidance of coach Geoffrey Kimani
When Ferdinand Omanyala parted ways with coach Geoffrey Kimani in September 2025, many wondered what direction Africa’s fastest man would take next in his career.
In a surprising but familiar turn, the Commonwealth Games champion reunited with his former coach Duncan Ayiemba, the man who guided him during the early stages of his sprinting journey before the pair separated in 2023.
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Eight months later, the reunion is already yielding encouraging results.
Omanyala has enjoyed a strong start to the 2026 season, clocking sub-10-second times in four consecutive races.
The Kenyan sprint star began his campaign at the Addis Ababa Grand Prix in Ethiopia, where he stormed to victory in 9.98 seconds before heading to the Kip Keino Classic, reclaiming the title he last won in 2023 after clocking 9.96 seconds.
He then competed at the Botswana Golden Grand Prix, finishing third in 9.95 seconds, before producing another impressive display at the Diamond League Meeting in Shanghai, where he finished second in 9.98 seconds.
Speaking during the Africa Senior Athletics Championships in Ghana, coach Ayiemba revealed that Omanyala’s resurgence is not accidental but a result of deliberate work behind the scenes.
“We’ve been training, definitely. I expected a better time than that, though, since he is still in loading, that is a better performance from him,” Ayiemba told Sports Journalist Martin Moses.
According to the tactician, the biggest adjustment since reuniting with Omanyala has not necessarily been changing training methods, but restoring the sprinter’s confidence and mental sharpness.
“It’s not like I have changed anything since we worked together; I have just reset the system back to winning ways. I’ve regained his confidence, and now he is training well, and his strength has also returned to how it was in 2024,” he explained.
Ayiemba added that Omanyala’s trademark speed is gradually returning, something he believes will translate into even faster times as the season progresses.
“His speed is also coming back very fast, and as we go on, we expect better times. I expect good times because what I’ve done now is just returning his confidence, because he is a strong guy and knows how to run fast,” he added.
The coach also disclosed that strategy and constant communication have played a crucial role in Omanyala’s recent performances.
He chatted with Omanyala in the morning of his Diamond League opener.
“You see the time difference, we did talk early in the morning and late at night. I showed him the strategy of how to run that race so we had a chat before he went to compete in the evening,” he noted.
For Ayiemba, restoring Omanyala’s confidence and fine-tuning his central nervous system has been key to bringing back the explosive speed that once made him one of the most feared sprinters in the world.
“Without confidence, without the CNS right, everything doesn’t go well. Now it’s all about sharpening him and bringing back his speed so that he gets the good times that he always had previously,” he said.
Up next, Omanyala will compete in the Xiamen Diamond League slated for Saturday, 23 May.