Why Omanyala is confident of rewriting history at 2026 Commonwealth Games

Ferdinand Omanyala believes history could be repeating itself after clocking the same time he posted during the 2022 Commonwealth Games trials, a performance that preceded his groundbreaking triumph in Birmingham.

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The African record holder stormed to victory in the men's 100m final at the Commonwealth Games trials over the weekend, crossing the line in 10.00 seconds.

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It was a familiar mark for the Kenyan sprint king, who also ran 10.00 during the 2022 trials before going on to become only the second Kenyan in history to win a Commonwealth sprint title.

In Birmingham, Omanyala produced a memorable performance to claim gold in the men's 100m, following in the footsteps of Seraphino Antao, who won the 100-yard dash at the 1962 Commonwealth Games.

Now, with the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow on the horizon, Omanyala sees the similarity as a positive omen as he targets another historic feat.

"It is funny because when I went to the Commonwealth Games, that was the time I ran at the trials. I do not believe in coincidences, but I believe in history. You never know, the same thing might happen at the Commonwealth Games," Omanyala said.

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The 30-year-old is not just chasing another medal. He has his sights firmly set on becoming the first athlete to defend the Commonwealth men's 100m title successfully.

"I am excited about the Commonwealth Games, and there is nothing else that is taking me there apart from history.

I want to be the first person to win it twice, so that is the history I am chasing. Of course, a busy schedule, but I feel like I have already warmed up," he added.

Omanyala heads into the Games in impressive form, having already recorded five sub-10-second performances this season. He opened his campaign with a 9.98-second run at the Addis Ababa Grand Prix before clocking 9.95 at the Botswana Grand Prix and 9.96 at the Kip Keino Classic.

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He also continued his consistency on the Diamond League circuit, running 9.94 seconds in Xiamen and 9.98 in Shanghai/Keqiao, underlining his status as one of the world's leading sprinters ahead of the Commonwealth showpiece.

Before turning his attention fully to Glasgow, Omanyala will make his next appearance at the Paris Diamond League on Sunday, 28 June, where he will look to continue building momentum in what has already been a remarkable season.