Witness the Wonder, World Athletics Championships Budapest 2023, Day 17, Ferdinand Omanyala wants to be on the 100m medal podium this summer!

Welcome to the World Champs 2023 Preview, Day 17.

For the next 28 days, RunBlogRun will be posting a story a day on the buildup to the World Athletics Outdoor Championships, to be held in Budapest, Hungary, from August 19-August 27, 2023.

Chasing a Medal in Budapest: Josh Kerr’s Odyssey to World Championships Glory

Witness the Wonder, World Outdoor Athletics Budapest 2023, Day 22, Six Stories on Hungarian Athletes and their dreams for Budapest 2023!

Oregon 22 World Athletics Champs, Day Nine: Relay Madness Reigns!!!!

Today we are going to speak about the fastest Kenyan ever.

No, not over 800 meters, 1,500 meters, on up, but over 100 meters!

Ferdinand Omanyala shows young boys and girls in Kenya that Kenyans can sprint with the best in the world!

His style, his power, and his celebrations post-race have all captured the media’s attention and fans go crazy for Ferdinand.

How will he fare this summer in Budapest, Hungary?

Please read on to find out, curious readers!

Ferdinand Omanyala takes the win in Botswana!

Ferdinand Omanyala is the name of this record breaker, and he will be the focus of media on the African and European continents this summer.

Last summer, Ferdinand won the African Athletics Championships at 100m, anchored the 4x100m, and then came back and won the Commonwealth Games.

He had a terrible experience in Eugene, Oregon, where his US visa was delayed so that, and I am not making this up; Ferdinand got to Eugene three hours before his first round, which he made it through. He then slept and tried to move from the semi-finals to the final, which he should have made.

To say that he was hurt was an understatement. But Ferdinand, a man of strong faith, used that challenge to add the Commonwealth Games to his medal collection.

Ferdinand has done well in 2023 so far.

He set two NRs at the 60-meter indoor distance and in one of the races, defeated Marcell Jacobs, the 2021 Olympic champion at 100 meters. Outdoors, Ferdinand has been in crazy good shape.

He just has had some bad luck.

Ferdinand Omanyala defeats Marcell Jacobs over 60m, Lievin, photo by Meeting Hauts-de-France Pas-de-Calais
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Ferdinand should have had the World leader and a Kenyan NR in two domestic meets, but wind readings were not legal.

In the recent Botswana GP, Ferdinand won once again and ran a sizzling 9.76, but the wind reading was not legal.

Here’s what I think: Ferdinand Omanyala will be the first Kenyan to climb atop the medal podium in a WC and Olympics at 100 meters. He is just that good. His speed and his technique (is coming along), but his most impressive talent is his high level of fitness and his faith. Ferdinand surrounds himself with a strong family and support team.

Ferdinand Omanyala takes 60m win, photo by Meeting Hauts-de-France Pas-de-Calais

I will tell you here, watch this fast Kenyan sprinter as he excites a whole continent about sprinting. Ferdinand Omanyala will be shaking it up all summer as we build to Budapest 2023.

(Watch him race on May 13 at the Kip Keino Classic!)

Justin Lagat, our senior writer in Kenya, just did a wonderful interview with Ferdinand; please listen to it: https://www.runblogrun.com/2023/04/ferdinand-omanyala-2022-commonwealth-games-champion-2022-african-athletics-championed-audio-interview-by-justin-lagat.html

To read all of our earlier stories in Witness the Wonder, numbers 1-16:

1. Witness the Wonder, World Outdoor Athletics Championships Budapest 2023, Day 1; Welcome to the World Champs! https://runblogrun.com/2023/04/witness-the-wonder-world-outdoor-athletics-championships-budapest-2023-day-1-welcome-to-the-world-champs.html

2. Witness the Wonder, World Outdoor Athletics Championships Budapest 2023, Day 2, Meeting the Stars of Hungarian Athletics! https://www.runblogrun.com/2023/04/witness-the-wonder-world-outdoor-athletics-championships-budapest-2023-day-2-meeting-the-stars-of-hungarian-athletics.html

3. Witness the Wonder, World Outdoor Athletics Championships Budapest 2023, Day 3, Why you should go to Budapest! https://www.runblogrun.com/2023/04/witness-the-wonder-world-outdoor-athletics-championships-budapest-2023-day-3.html

4. Witness the Wonder, World Outdoor Athletics Championships Budapest 2023, Day 4, Mondo Duplantis & Nafi Thiam are Europe’s finest; how will they do in Budapest? https://www.runblogrun.com/2023/04/witness-the-wonder-world-outdoor-athletics-championships-budapest-2023-day-3-mondo-duplantis-nafi-thiam-are-europes-finest-how-will-they-do-in-budapest.html

5. Witness the Wonder, World Championships Budapest 2023, Day 5, Just What Will Faith Kipyegon Do in Budapest? https://www.runblogrun.com/2023/04/witness-the-wonder-world-championships-budapest-2023-day-5-just-what-will-faith-kipyegon-do-in-budapest.html

6. Witness the Wonder, World Athletics Championships Budapest 2023, Day 6, Mutaz Essa Barshim. Will he take a 4th straight title in Budapest? https://www.runblogrun.com/2023/04/witness-the-wonder-world-athletics-championships-budapest-2023-mutaz-essa-barshim-will-he-take-a-4th-straight-title-in-budapest.html

7. Witness the Wonder, World Athletics Outdoor Champs Budapest 2023, Day 7, Noah Lyles wants to burn up the track in Budapest in August! https://www.runblogrun.com/2023/04/witness-the-wonder-world-athletics-outdoor-champs-budapest-2023-noah-lyles-wants-to-burn-up-the-track-in-budapest-in-august.html

8. Witness the Wonder, World Athletics Championships Budapest 2023, Day 8, all About the National Athletics Center https://www.runblogrun.com/2023/04/witness-the-wonder-world-athletics-championships-budapest-2023-day-8-all-about-the-national-athletics-center.html

9. Witness the Wonder, World Athletics Championships Budapest 2023, Day 9: Meet Anita Marton, Hungarian star shot putter with deadly last-round throws! What will she do in Budapest? https://www.runblogrun.com/2023/04/witness-the-wonder-world-athletics-championships-budapest-2023-day-9-meet-anita-marton-hungarian-star-shot-putter-who-has-deadly-last-round-throws-what-will-she-do-in-budapest.html

10. Witness the Wonder, 2023 World Athletics Outdoor Championships, Day 10: Karsten Warhold is back, what will he do in Budapest over the 400-meter hurdles? https://www.runblogrun.com/2023/04/witness-the-wonder-2023-world-athletics-outdoor-championships-day-10-karsten-warhold-is-back-what-will-he-do-in-budapest-over-the-400-meter-hurdles.html

11. Witness the Wonder World Athletics Championships Budapest 2023, Day 11; Wayde Van Niekerk is coming to Budapest! https://www.runblogrun.com/2023/04/witness-the-wonder-world-athletics-championships-budapest-2023-day-11-wayde-van-niekerk-wr-holder-olympic-champions-two-time-world-champion-at-400-meters-has-returned-and-he-wants-to-run-a-sizz.html

12. Witness the Wonder, World Athletics Championships Budapest 2023, Day 12, Neeraj Chopra, India’s Javelin star, will he move up to gold in Budapest? https://www.runblogrun.com/2023/04/witness-the-wonder-world-athletics-championships-budapest-2023-neeraj-chopra-indias-javelin-star-will-he-move-up-to-gold-in-budapest.html,

13. Witness the Wonder, World Athletics Championships Budapest 2023, Day 13: Ryan Crouser overcomes a rainy day at the Drake Relays! https://www.runblogrun.com/2023/04/witness-the-wonder-world-athletics-championships-budapest-2023-day-13-ryan-crouser-overcomes-a-rainy-day-at-the-drake-relays.html

14. Witness the Wonder, World Athletics Outdoor Championships, Budapest, Day 14: Five Reasons to go to the World Championships in Budapest! https://www.runblogrun.com/2023/05/witness-the-wonder-world-athletics-outdoor-championships-budapest-day-14-five-reasons-to-go-to-the-world-championships-in-budapest.html

15. Witness the Wonder, World Athletics Championships Budapest 2023, Day 15, Old and New Stars in Hammer could shine the first weekend of World Champs for Hungary! https://www.runblogrun.com/2023/05/witness-the-wonder-world-athletics-championships-budapest-2023-old-and-new-stars-in-hammer-could-shine-first-weekend-of-world-champs-for-hungary.html

16. Witness the Wonder, World Athletics Championships, Budapest 2023, Day 16: Five Ways to Better Enjoy the Budapest World Champs! https://www.runblogrun.com/2023/05/witness-the-wonder-world-athletics-championships-budapest-2023-day-15-five-ways-to-better-enjoy-the-budapest-world-champs.html

The World Championships in Budapest, Hungary, will be held August 19-27, 2023, and tickets are available now! Click here to learn more about ticket sales: https://tickets.wabudapest23.com/

RunBlogRun suggests a wonderful book on Hungary, The Hungarians, A Thousand Years of Victory in Defeat, by Paul Lendvai, Translated by Ann Major, Princeton University Press, www.pupress.princeton.edu.

Need tips for Visiting Budapest and the rest of Hungary? Please go here! Visit Hungary-Wellspring of Wonders! https://visithungary.com/

Author

Larry Eder
Larry Eder has had a 52-year involvement in the sport of athletics. Larry has experienced the sport as an athlete, coach, magazine publisher, and now, journalist and blogger. His first article, on Don Bowden, America's first sub-4 minute miler, was published in RW in 1983. Larry has published several magazines on athletics, from American Athletics to the U.S. version of Spikes magazine. He currently manages the content and marketing development of the RunningNetwork, The Shoe Addicts, and RunBlogRun. Of RunBlogRun, his daily pilgrimage with the sport, Larry says: "I have to admit, I love traveling to far away meets, writing about the sport I love, and the athletes I respect, for my readers at runblogrun.com, the most of anything I have ever done, except, maybe running itself." Also does some updates for BBC Sports at key events, which he truly enjoys. Theme song: Greg Allman, " I'm no Angel."
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