Omanyala headlines Kenyan team for World Indoor Championship

NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 7 – African 100m record holder Ferdinand Omanyala headlines Kenya’s team of 10 athletes that will head to Serbia for the World Indoor Championship scheduled for the 18^th-20^th of this month.

Omanyala made his Indoor Games debut last month, participating in four different 60m races across France.

He clocked 6.57 seconds to finish fourth at the Meeting Hauts-de- France Pas-de-Calais in Lievin, France, a time that now stands as the national record.

“Of course I am excited to be heading to my first World Indoor Championship. I had expected this because I already attained the qualification time in France last month and now it is just a matter of preparing well,” Omanyala told Capital Sport.

On his ambitions in Belgrade, Omanyala says he will only go there to improve himself and has not put pressure on himself to attain a medal.

“It is my first ever World Indoor Championship and so I will not pile pressure on myself to go for a medal. My target is simple, run below 6.57secs. If I do that then I know I will be in a position to finish well,” he further stated.

The Kenyan and African record holder who ran 9.77secs over 100m at the Kip Keino Classic last year and said his biggest reason for going to the Indoor championship is to improve his time, something he says he has already achieved.

“I did not have a very good first 50m before and that is why I went for the Indoors to try and improve. The difference is visible because during last weekend’s AK meet at Nyayo, I had a very good first half of the race,” Omanyala, who ran 10.00secs at the AK meet said.

Also included in the team is Naomi Korir, Eglay Nalianya, Noah Kibet and Collins Kipruto who will all run the 800m, Beatrice Chebet, Jacob Krop and Daniel Simiyu who will run the 3,000m while Abel Kipsang who finished fourth at the Olympic Games will compete in the 1500m.

Meanwhile, Ednah Jebitok will double and compete in the 1500m and 3,000m.