PARIS 2024: Ferdinand Omanyala to hit the track in 100m heats

Other than Kenya failing to win a medal in men’s 10,000 metres final and the nation’s 4x400 mixed relay team suffering elimination in heats, the second day of the athletics program at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games was fairly successful for Kenya.

All the country’s representatives in the men’s 1500 metres (Timothy Cheruiyot, Brian Komen, and Reynold Kipkorir) and the women’s 5000 metres (Faith Kipyegon, Beatrice Chebet, and Margaret Chelimo) sailed comfortably to the semifinal.

It was in the heats of the women’s 800 metres that Kenya received a mixed as reigning world champion Mary Moraa and Lilian Odira qualified for the semifinals after finishing in the top three positions in their heats.

Vivian Chebet, Kenya’s other representative in the women’s 800 metres, did not fare as well as her compatriots. She finished fifth in her heat meaning that she will have to contest a race in the Repechage Round for a chance to join Moraa and Odira in the semifinals which will take place on Sunday, August 4 at Stade de France in Saint-Denis, Paris.

Chebet is set to compete in Heat Four of the Repechage Round. To qualify for the semifinal she either has to win her heat to secure automatic qualification or be among the two finishers with the fastest times.

The heats for the Repechage Round of the women’s 800 metres will start at 12:20 pm EAT but Chebet’s race will not start until 12:44 pm EAT.

Day Three of the athletics program will also see the start of the eagerly awaited action in the men’s 100 metres, the Olympic Games blue ribbon event.

Kenyan sprint sensation, Ferdinand Omanyala, is scheduled to feature in the heats which will start at 12:55 pm EAT.

Omanyala, who with a time of 9.79s has the second fastest time in the world in the 100 metres this year, will have to wait until the Preliminary Round for the men’s 100 metres have ended to know which Round One heat he will compete.

The Preliminary Round will feature six heats contested by 46 athletes who had slower qualification times. Athletes automatically qualified for Round One heats by running entry standard time of 10.00 or faster during the qualifiers, or by their World Athletics Ranking for the event.

Omanyala, by virtue of having run 9.79s this year and also being ranked 4th in the world in 2024 among 100 metres does not need to appear in the Preliminary Round which will start at 11:35 pm EAT.

African record holder Omanyala will be hoping for better results this time after suffering elimination in the semifinal at Tokyo 2020 following a third place finish in his heat which was not enough for him to qualify among the two finishers with the fastest times.

In Paris 2024, Omanyala will be eager to avoid a repeat of such disappointment and fight to qualify for the final by finishing within the automatic qualification positions in his race.