Ferdinand Omurwa

Last updated

Ferdinand Omanyala Omurwa
Personal information
NationalityKenyan
Born (1996-01-02) 2 January 1996 (age 26)
Nairobi, Kenya
Education Friends School Kamusinga
Height1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Weight83 kg (183 lb)
Sport
SportSprinting
Event(s)100 metres
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)
Medal record
Men's athletics
Representing Flag of Kenya.svg KEN
African Championships
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2022 Mauritius 100 m

Ferdinand Omanyala Omurwa (born 2 January 1996) is a Kenyan sprinter who specializes in the 100m and 200m events. He is currently the African record holder and 8th fastest man of all-time in the 100 metres after clocking a time of 9.77 on 18 September 2021 in Nairobi.[ citation needed ]

Contents

Early life

Omurwa was born in Hamisi as the third son of Dishon and Adelaide Omurwa, though the family settled in Tongaren soon afterwards. [1]

Career

In 2015 Ferdinand Omanyala began his athletics career in Kenya as a chemistry student the University of Nairobi. [1] He made this move after a friend noticed his speed while he was playing rugby. He made the switch from rugby to track and only a few weeks later he ran a time of 10.4s in his first AK meet in Kakamega. The same year, he won the national Olympics trials over the 100m distance in a time of 10.37s but never met the qualifying standard for the Olympics which was 10.16s at the time.

Following a doping offence in 2017 Omurwa received a 14-month suspension. He tested positive for the prohibited substance betamethasone, after undergoing treatment for his back injury which he got during training. [2] [3]

Omurwa won the national title on 100 m in 2019.

Omurwa set a national record of 10.01 seconds in the 100 meters in winning a meeting at Yabatech Sport Complex, Lagos (NGR) on 30 March 2021. [4] At the 2020 Summer Games 100 metres semi final he set a new national record of 10.00 seconds. [5] He was 0.04 behind eventual silver medalist Fred Kerley and 0.02 behind eventual bronze medalist Andre De Grasse. Omanyala then ran a new personal best of 9.86 seconds in Austria in August, becoming the first Kenyan to ever break the 10-second barrier. [6]

On 18 September 2021, he ran a 9.77 (+1.2 m/s) for a new African record at the Absa Kip Keino Classic held in Nairobi, Kenya coming in a close second place behind Trayvon Bromell, who ran the 2021 world leading time of 9.76. [7]

Personal life

Omurwa is married to Laventa Amutavi and they have a son. [1]

His official sponsors are Odibets, a Kenyan sports betting company. [8]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Mwamba, James (24 September 2021). "Omanyala: From rugby to second fastest man on earth". Daily Nation . Retrieved 13 June 2022.
  2. https://www.adak.or.ke/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Reasoned-Decision-Ferdinand-Omanyala.pdf [ bare URL PDF ]
  3. "Athletics OMURWA Ferdinand - Tokyo 2020 Olympics". Archived from the original on 1 August 2021. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
  4. Varore, Demba. "Athlétisme : Ferdinand Omanyala Omurwa, l'exception kényane". sportnewsafrica.com.
  5. "Athletics - Semi-Final 1 Results". Archived from the original on 9 October 2021. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
  6. Ayodi, Ayumba (14 September 2021). "Ferdinand Omanyala joins the sub 10 club, shatters own record". Daily Nation . Retrieved 13 June 2022.
  7. "World Athletics Continental Tour | World Athletics".
  8. Timothy, Olubulu. "Kenyan Sprint Sensation Ferdinand Omanyala Lands Bumper Odibets Support". Capital FM. Retrieved 10 September 2021.