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Ferdinand Omanyala has reacted to his performance at the Paris Olympic Games, where he bowed out of the men's 100m title contention after finishing eighth in the semifinal.
Africa’s fastest man Ferdinand Omanyala has opened up about the unexpected flop at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
The Commonwealth Games champion had an unceremonious exit from the Olympic Games despite being the second-fastest man in the world this year going into the race. Kishane Thompson is the fastest man in the world this year courtesy of his 9.77 seconds at the Jamaican Olympic trials.
Omanyala was off to a great start in the first round on the men’s 100m where he won the race, clocking a stunning 10.08 to cross the finish line. He had a faulty start in the men’s semifinal where he finished eighth in 10.08 seconds.
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14:30 - 14.08.2024
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Only the top two athletes in the semifinal would automatically qualify for the final with the fastest losers also sealing a ticket to the final. Noah Lyles was the eventual winner of the men’s 100m final, clocking 9.79 ahead of Thompson who also timed 9.79. Fred Kerley rounded up the podium in a time of 9.81.
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“It's not what we expected. We put many hours into practice and made every effort to leave a mark at the Olympics but things didn't work out according to plan,” Omanyala told The Star.
However, he now shifts focus to the next assignment as he draws positives from the Olympic Games' setback. The 28-year-old added that his presence at the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games and Paris Olympics changed the sprinting scene in Kenya.
“Looking at the positive side, we have learned a lot of lessons that will help us achieve greatness in our subsequent performances. I believe we shall register better results in the future,” Omanyala said.
“Like I said earlier, things will never be the same again for Kenya's sprints story. All has changed for the better.”
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