Africa’s fastest man, Omanyala carries Kenya’s hopes for a first Olympic gold in the 100 meters

Associated Press

Ferdinand Omanyala’s status as Africa’s fastest man has many people believing Kenya’s push for Olympic gold medals isn’t entirely a long-distance objective. But the Commonwealth Games 100-meter champion doesn’t want to get ahead of himself despite posting the second-fastest time this season of 9.79 seconds to qualify for the Olympics.  The African record holder says “You can’t start thinking about the final when you are not there yet — so many things happen.” Omanyala’s comeback from a doping ban imposed in 2017 to becoming the 9th-fastest man of all time has inspired Kenyans and has drawn more crowds to stadiums during national competitions.