Omanyala targeting a sub 10 dash in Kip Keino Classic

The 2022 Commonwealth champion is yet to do a sub 10 since clocking 9.95 seconds at the Josko Lauf Meeting in Austria last August but he believes his return to the scene of his African record can fuel him to achieve the mark.

Omanyala blazed to a 9.77 African record in 2021 at the Kip Keino Classic before clinching the Commonwealth title in Birmingham the following year.

In his recent race, he timed 10.05 seconds last weekend in the Rabat Diamond League, finishing second behind Olympic silver medalist Akani Simbine of South Africa, who ran 9.95 seconds.

“I’m praying for a sub-10 on home soil. We’re on a new training regimen, and it’s beginning to show signs. I feel it’s coming,” Omanyala told Citizen Digital.

This year’s Kip Keino Classic will be held at Nairobi’s Ulinzi Complex, a venue Omanyala is not too familiar with but he brushed off concerns about the track’s influence on performance.

“Athletes run fast, not tracks. The last time I was at Ulinzi, I ran a 400m and it didn’t go well. But that doesn't matter now, it's all about how you show up on race day.”

The Kenyan sprint king will face a formidable field, including South Africa’s Paris Olympic 4x100m silver medallists Bayanda Walaza and Shaun Maswanganyi, Cameroon’s Claude Itoungue.

Others are Australia’s Kennedy Luchem, Duan Asemota of Canada, William Reais of Switzerland and fellow Kenyan Mark Otieno.

Despite the hype surrounding teenage sensation Walaza, Omanyala is focused on executing his own race.

“I understand the excitement around Bayanda, but let’s not reduce this to a two-man show. It’s an eight-lane track. He’s a talented young sprinter, no doubt and I’m privileged to race him, just as it’s a privilege for him to race me. That competition will bring the best out of us.”

Walaza, on his part, is relishing the showdown, saying he’s coming to compete not to play second fiddle.

“I’ve got huge respect for Omanyala. He's a beast and a crowd legend. But honestly,I don’t line up to finish second. If I execute my race, anything can happen,”Walaza said via the Kip Keino Classic website.

Omanyala’s rise to continental sprinting stardom has been closely tied to the Kip Keino Classic. In 2021, he set a new African record at the meet. The following year, he stormed to victory in 9.85 seconds, stunning then Olympic silver medalist and world champion Fred Kerley.

In 2023, he retained his crown, cementing his status as the face of African sprinting. His memorable silver medal in 2021 was particularly historic, coming ahead of America's sprint legend and Athens 2004 champion Justin Gatlin, a rare feat for a Kenyan sprinter.

Omanyala addressed the media on Friday during the official elite athlete press conference, where he reaffirmed his intent to thrill fans once again.

“Every Kip Keino Classic is special. It’s home. The crowd, the energy it lifts you. I’m ready to light up Nairobi again.”