How Omanyala's new coach is shaping his path to Olympic glory

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ATHLETICS How Omanyala's new coach is shaping his path to Olympic glory

Abigael Wafula 18:32 - 22.02.2024

Ferdinand Omanyala's new coach, Geoffrey Kimani has given a detailed layout of how he trains Africa's fastest man.

Ferdinand Omanyala’s new coach, Geoffrey Kimani has given a deeper insight on how they train and even opened up on one of the main changes he had to implement in the training sessions.

Kimani noted that when he took charge from Duncan Ayiemba, he noticed that Omanyala had gained a lot of weight and one of the main goals was to make him lose weight. Speaking to Sport On, Kimani noted that Omanyala has so far lost 4kg.

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“I thought he needed to lose some weight because I think he was running a bit too heavy. We moved from about 90kg to 86kg.

"The program he was geared in was about gaining muscle but you can still be strong even without heavy muscles,” Kimani said.

He added that a typical training week for Omanyala entails three resting days and insisted that rest is always very important for the body.

The veteran tactician also noted that Omanyala returned to school and that being a family man, he needs to have enough time off the track.

“Ideally, the first priority for any sprinter is speed. In his general preparation phase, which is the indoor, he should be the fastest 30m runner in the world.

“Acceleration sets you up for high speed which is the ideal situation for a sprinter. We started with the acceleration, the first 30m which entails the starts and all those things.

“We have not forgotten the bigger picture, the Olympics, but for us to do well there, we have to be running better times and get fast very early. It’s easier to maintain than to start chasing,” he added.

Kimani explained that the reason why Omanyala ran the 400m was to test his endurance and he is doing well so far.

“Him doing the 400m was for us to just check where he is in terms of endurance and then the 200m gave us an indication where he is in matters of speed and endurance.

“A typical week starts on Monday with a gym session. If we have a speed session, it precedes the gym one. Tuesday is an easier session we do tempos, on the track or the grass.

“Wednesday is a rest day because the body adapts to the stimulus you give it. He is a family man and he is also in school and his life should not necessarily surround the sport.

“Going to school sets him up for the life after the sport. Then there is rest on Saturday and Sunday. Nutrition also plays a big role and he also knows what to do after his recovery,” he added.

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