Kenya was not renowned for sprinting in the past, but one athlete who against all odds emerged and changed the entire picture. His name is the sprinting sensation, Ferdinand Omanyala.
Funny enough he was once a Rugby player. But how did he become a superstar to the extent that he is in the conversations of Gold medal favorites in the upcoming World Championships set to be held in Hungary, Budapest.
Duncan Ayiemba- his coach, is the man behind Omanyala’s shift from Rugby to Athletics. He outlines how he convinced Omanyala to shift his profession.
“To be honest, I influenced him. His friends also made him reverse his decision,” Ayiemba told Arocho Live, “I told him rugby is a contact sport and that he stood a chance of being injured in the sport,” he said.
The catch behind his conviction was that he warned him of injuries from playing Rugby.
“I told him, ‘You have speed, but you will meet an opponent who will finish you one day’. That is exactly what happened. He ended up suffering from a collarbone injury once, which further discouraged him from continuing with the sport.” He added.
Ayiemba also revealed that coaching Omanyala has helped him grow as well.
“Omanyala is a determined character. He has also helped me research more on how to improve his running. You cannot help someone who wants to improve if you have leaky knowledge, so I have had to expand my knowledge on sprinting to help him.” He revealed.
