Sprinter Ferdinand Omanyala Surprises Jeff Koinange With Special Gift

Citizen TV news anchor Jeff Koinange (left) and sprinter Ferdinand Omanyala.
Citizen TV news anchor Jeff Koinange (left) and sprinter Ferdinand Omanyala.
File

Sprinter Ferdinand Omanyala on Wednesday, September 22, gifted Citizen TV news anchor Jeff Koinange a hoodie from his personal clothing line. 

Towards the end of the bulletin, Omanyala alongside his wife Laventa, unveiled a grey hoodie bearing the brand logo OF (initials of Omanyala Ferdinand) and handed it to the news anchor. 

The logo also symbolised an athlete's pose at the end of a race. Taken aback by the surprise gift, Jeff lauded Omanyala for the kind gesture.

Laventa, who handles the clothing label, pointed out that the artistic design was originally done by one of Omanyala's fans - right after the athlete began making waves in the industry. 

Omanyala noted that the dream of the company, Track-Ferdie, is to sponsor African athletes as most of them lack the requisite equipment needed during training as well as on the track.

He also noted that the company would ensure Kenyan athletes were in possession of a contract - as a measure of safeguarding their rights as well as interests.

During the interview, Omanyala detailed his journey from playing rugby at the University of Nairobi (UoN) to beginning a career in the athletics industry in 2020. 

He noted how the five-year experience has proved to be a whirlwind experience. 

"There was a time I applied to run in the Diamond League but the email reply from one of the directors said they could not take me as he could not believe a Kenyan would run that fast," Omanyala stated, noting that at the time he had clocked in at 10:01 seconds at the trials.

He noted that during his first year, he believed he would run in under 10 seconds but knew it would take years to master the art and run a perfect race. However, he did not know within a period of five years he would be rubbing shoulders with the who's who in the industry and emerge victorious in the process.

"The Kip Keino classic was hyped. I was slated to face the likes of Justin Gatlin and Trayvon Bromell. Before the race, I said in an interview that I would run in 9.7 seconds but they didn't believe me. I managed to clock 9.77 seconds, beating Gatlin in the process," he stated.

Omanyala promised that he would break his own record as he aimed to beat Jamaican Usain Bolt's 9.58 seconds World record.

An Undated Image of Kenyan Sprinter Ferdinand Omanyala.
Kenyan Sprinter Ferdinand Omanyala posing for a photo during his trials at Moi International Sports Center, Kasarani in August 2020.
AthleticsKenya