How Omanyala's wrist watch disrupted his plans after Xiamen Diamond League
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Reading Time: 2min | Mon. 28.04.25. | 21:06
China is five hours ahead of Kenya, but his watch had him living in a time zone of its own, and he believed he was only four hours ahead
Following an impressive second-place finish at the Xiamen Diamond League, Ferdinand Omanyala was on cloud nine.
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He was riding high on the momentum of his remarkable 10.13-second run in the men’s 100m final on Saturday, 26 April.
However, what he did not expect was how time itself would disrupt his plans in China.
It all started with a faulty watch.
On Saturday night, Omanyala’s watch malfunctioned and reset itself, sending him an hour behind the rest of the world.
China is five hours ahead of Kenya, but his watch had him living in a time zone of its own, and he believed he was only four hours ahead. Even worse, he thought the time change had shifted by an hour.
What followed was an entire Sunday spent in confusion, missing meals, witnessing early sunsets, and essentially living in a time warp.
“That (watch error) was hilarious. I noticed at almost 10 pm (5 pm Kenyan time). I was just moving around, wondering why everything was happening so fast,” he recalled laughing.
The confusion deepened when Omanyala went for lunch.
“They told me that the food was finished, and I wondered because I thought I was there early. Kumbe, I went one hour later. I was also surprised why darkness came early,” he disclosed.
Despite the timing mishap, Omanyala still managed to maintain his focus and energy.
His second-place finish at the Xiamen Diamond League continued a string of solid performances this year.
He clocked 10.13 seconds in the final, just behind South Africa’s Akani Simbine, who won the race with a season-best 9.99 seconds. Great Britain's Jeremiah Azu took third, posting a personal season-best of 10.17 seconds.
Reflecting on his performance, Omanyala expressed his satisfaction with the result, saying that podium finishes in every major race this season remain his goal.
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“Podium finish in every big race this year is the goal,” Omanyala said.
With Xiamen now behind him, Omanyala will be keen to keep his fine form going when he lines up for the Shanghai Diamond League slated for Saturday, 3 April.
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