Omanyala reveals why he may not take part in the 2024 Kip Keino Classic
15th December 2023
The African record holder has participated in the last three editions winning twice and finishing second in the other.
- The Kip Keino Classic Continental Tour fifth edition is set on April 20, 2024, at the Kasarani Stadium in Nairobi, Kenya.
- Athletes will compete at Gold level earning both prize money and world ranking points.
- The yearly tour was launched in 2020 and is taking shape to be a world-class event.
100m Commonwealth champion Ferdinand Omurwa Omanyala has revealed his plans for the upcoming 2024 season.
According to the 27-year-old, he has his sights on three events including the Olympic Games, Indoor Games and the Diamond League final.
However, the African record holder did not confirm his participation at the 2024 Kip Keino Classic which has been his home race for the past three years since 2021.
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“Kip Keino is one of the meets that I always look forward to but that depends on the organizers because I am not the same athlete I was last year. Levels change, status change, so I am hoping that the organizers will meet our expectations of the meet.
If they do, we are going to give Kenyans a show. So, not yet confirmed, we are still waiting for them,” he explained in an interview by the National Olympic Committee of Kenya.
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Omanyala has participated in the last three editions of the Kip Keino Classic, winning twice and finishing second in the other meet.
It is in the 2021 event where he finished second behind Trayvon Bromell that he set the new African record after clocking 9.77s.
The Friends School Kamusinga alumni, who is ranked third in the world in the 100m race, revealed that he will also not be gracing the 2024 African Games which are scheduled for 8-23 March in Accra, Ghana.
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“The African games next year is not in our calendar because it is a week later after the indoor games. So we will focus on the indoor games and then just come back home and start preparing for the outdoor season.
My main target is the indoor games and the diamond league of course. We will be looking to do a couple of diamond leagues, maybe 2 or 3 before the Olympics and then after the Olympics prepare for the finals of the diamond league,” he stated.
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