Ferdinand Omanyala Sends Warning to His Rivals Ahead of World Athletics Championships

• Ferdinand Omanyala means business
• The Kenyan sprinter boldly said he will be the world 100m champion after winning his first race at the Diamond League
• Omanyala will represent Kenya in the upcoming 2023 World Athletics championships, but he faces tough competition

Africa's fastest man Ferdinand Omanyala has sent a warning to his competitors in the upcoming 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary.

The Kenyan sprinter is optimistic he will win the 100m race in Budapest. This comes after he won his first-ever Diamond League race on Friday, narrowly edging Letsile Tebogo in the 100m. He clocked 9.92 seconds to win.

Omanyala is having a great season so far and sits joint top in the 2023 Diamond League standings with South Africa's Akani Simbine, an athlete he will face in Budapest, per World Athletics.

Ferdinand Omanyala Confident Ahead of World Athletics Championships: “Nothing but Gold”

Athletics

Botswana's Tebogo finished second in Monaco on Friday and on Sunday at the London Diamond League in 200m. He is another sprinter Omanyala will keep an eye on in the 100m race in Hungary. Noah Lyles, the world 200m champion, has also beaten the Kenyan in the 100m this season.

Moreover, his main target is American Fred Kerley, who is the world and Olympic champion. The Kenyan sprinter had a frustrating performance at the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Oregon. Therefore, he will need to step up to beat the likes of Kerley.

The Common Wealth Games champion finished 5th in the semi-final in last year's championships.

Omanyala's warning to rivals

After winning in Monaco, the 27-year-old Kenyan record holder made a bold declaration:

“I will be the next world champion. There are no doubts about it. I am ready to do it. Tonight I just confirmed what I am capable of. I would not call it a perfect race but I am ready. It was a blessing to win here and I wanted to run faster but a win is a win,” via Standard.

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Athletics

Omanyala is the first Kenyan sprinter to win a Diamond League race after the late Nicholas Bett won the 400m hurdles in 2016 in Paris.

Before heading to the world championships in Hungary, scheduled for 19-27 August 2023, the African champion will take part in the Josko Lauf Meeting in Austria.

Updated Diamond League standings

Sports Brief earlier reported on the 100m 2023 Diamond League standings after the Monaco meet.

It has been a slow but steady improvement from Omanyala, who finished third at the Rabat Diamond League before back-to-back second-place finishes in Florence and Paris.

Following his win, the 27-year-old has now reclaimed the top spot, tied with Simbine, who beat the World Champion Fred Kerley in Silesia last week. Kerley drops to third. Omanyala has now guaranteed his place in the Diamond League finals in Oregon in September.