Justin Gatlin lauds Omanyala for inspiring new sprint generation
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Reading Time: 3min | Tue. 20.05.25. | 13:14
But thanks to Omanyala’s determination and blistering speed, Kenya can now confidently stake its claim on the global sprinting stage
They say game recognizes game.
When former Olympic and world champion Justin Gatlin watches Ferdinand Omanyala tear down the track, that is exactly what he sees: greatness in motion and hope redefined.
Gatlin, one of the most decorated American sprinters, has praised Omanyala, calling him a beacon of inspiration for the next generation of sprinters not only in Kenya but across Africa.
Kenya is traditionally known for middle and long- distance races, but that is slowly changing.
Marathon king Eliud Kipchoge and the late Kelvin Kiptum have put Kenya on the global map.
When it comes to middle distances, the country boasts of athletes like 800m great David Rudisha, Olympic champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi, and triple Olympic 1,500m champion Faith Kipyegon, among others.
But thanks to Omanyala’s determination and blistering speed, Kenya can now confidently stake its claim on the global sprinting stage.
And history has recorded it.
Just a week ago, Omanyala anchored Kenya’s 4x100m relay team alongside Boniface Mweresa, Steve Onyango, and Meshack Baabu to a historic qualification for the World Championships.
Their time of 38.35 seconds in the first round of the World Relays in Guangzhou, China, set a new national record.
They followed it up with 38.51 seconds in the second round, booking Kenya’s ticket to the championships for the first time since 1983.
For Gatlin, Omanyala’s performance is more than just sprinting; he is inspiring the next generation of sprinters.
“It's called Hope. You watch Ferdinand Omanyala go out there and be a spring King for Kenya. That's the breathing of hope for that country. And watch him, females and males from that country could say, oh, if he can, why not me?” he posed at the Ready Set Go podcast.
Thanks to the quartet’s performance at the World Athletics relays in Guangzhou, China, young Kenyan sprinters have seen that it is possible.
“So now you have a whole other group, or a generation of middle-distance people who thought little distance or long distance was not our thing to say, hey, remember when we were at the World Relays last year? They did not qualify. They tried, but now they qualify.
This is what commentators said when they said, the world is catching up. Congratulations, Kenya, man, especially going out there and doing a good job. I did not even know,” he said.
For Omanyala, this is just the beginning. The self-declared trailblazer has often compared his journey to that of John the Baptist in the Bible.
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He is creating a platform for future Kenyan sprinters by increasing the sport's visibility and popularity, just as John the Baptist prepared the hearts and minds of the people for the arrival of Jesus.
Historically, he is the first Kenyan 100m representative in the Olympic Games. He now holds two African records: 9.77 seconds in the 100m and the newly minted 14.70 in the 150m.
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