Athletics

Ferdinand Omanyala shatters 60-metre Indoor National Record in France

Commonwealth Games 100m champion Ferdinand Omanyala at a past event. (Capital FM)

By Bashir Mohammed | Saturday, February 3, 2024

This marked a significant improvement from his previous national record of 6.54 set just last year.

Africa's 100-metre record holder, Ferdinand Omanyala, left the world in awe as he shattered his own 60-metre Indoor National Record by 0.2 seconds at the Elite Indoor Track Miramas Meeting in France on Friday.

Omanyala, who holds titles as the Commonwealth Games and Africa 100m champion, blazed through the semi-final heat in 6.62, only to outdo himself in the final with a great performance, finishing in an impressive 6.52.

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This marked a significant improvement from his previous national record of 6.54 set just last year during the meeting in Hauts-de-France, Pas-des-Calais.

The Kenyan sprinter left no room for competition as he edged out Emmanuel Alobwede Eseme from Cameroon, who also set a national record time of 6.61, securing second place.

Arthur Cisse from Cote d'Ivoire, who had beaten Omanyala last year, settled for third place with a season's best of 6.62.

Eager to carry the momentum forward, Omanyala now sets his sights on the Meeting de Paris on February 11 in the French capital before gearing up for the World Indoor Championships scheduled for March 1 to 3 in Glasgow, Scotland.

This will be Omanyala’s second appearance at the world indoor event, having reached the semi-finals during the 2022 championships in Belgrade, Serbia.

Despite Omanyala's stellar performance, other Kenyan athletes faced tough competition in various events.

Channel Inaki won the men's 400m race in 46.72, while Wiseman Were and Boniface Mweresa secured third and fourth positions, respectively.

Lydia Lagat finished seventh in the women's 1,500m, while Munguti Kyumbe settled for seventh place in the men's 1,500m. The latter race was won by Ryan Mafori Mphahlele in a meet record time of 3:36.57.