Omanyala races to 100m and 200m victory in Italy

African 100m record holder Ferdinand Omanyala was in action on Sunday 22 May at the International Castiglione Athletic Meeting at Zecchini Stadium in Grosseto, Italy where he punched victories in both 100m and 200m.

First up was the shorter distance where he clocked a slow 10.11 seconds but it was enough to win him the race, in the process setting a new meeting record, breaking a previous mark of 10.31seconds set by Olympic champion Marcel Jacobs.

Moments later, the world leader in 100m lined up for the 200m where he clocked 20.50 seconds for the win in races he says are part of his preparations for the upcoming Senior African Athletics Championships set for 8 to 12 June in Mauritius.

“It was a great outing and definitely two competitive races. Winning a double on foreign soil definitely feels great and this is another morale boosting performance. This is great build up for me definitely heading in to the African event where I want to go and win three titles,” Omanyala told Capital Sport from Italy.

The sprint sensation is targeting the African title in 100m, 200m and the 4x100m where he will partner Kenya Defence Forces’ Samuel Imeta, Dan Kaviasi and Wiseman Were.

Omanyala, who is yet to get a feel of the highly sought-after Diamond League despite being the fastest runner this year, is also eyeing tickets to the World Championships and the Commonwealth Games where he will be making his debut if he punches the tickets.

Strength coach Kimani tips Omanyala to leave huge footprints on track