Ferdinand Omanyala Omurwa Runs 9.86 to Crush Kenyan 100m National Record

by LetsRun.com
August 15, 2021

Kenyan sprinter Ferdinand Omanyala Omurwa crushed his own Kenyan record in the 100m yesterday at the Josko Lauf Meeting in Austria, running 9.96 in the prelims and then 9.86 in the final. Prior to his run in Austria, Omanyala Omurwa was most known for nearly making the final at the Tokyo Olympics where he ran the previous Kenyan record of 10.00 in the semifinals but did not advance.

Video below.

Article continues below player.

According to this thread, Omanyala Omurwa is a former rugby player who started sprinting in 2017, and received a 14 month doping ban for the glucocorticoid betamethasone in 2018.Prior to this year his best for the 100m was a mediocre 10.32.

Omanyala Omurwa has rewritten then Kenyan sprinting record books this year. Sprinting standards in Kenya were pedestrian until this year. Prior to this year, the national record was 10.14 set by Mark Otieno Odhiambo in 2017 and no one else had ever run under 10.20. Otieno lowered the mark to 10.11 in April before Omanyala Omurwa took over. He ran 10.06 in May, then 10.02 at the Kenyan champs and 10.00 at the Olympics.

Otieno tested positive for an anabolic androgenic steroid at the Olympics and was not allowed to compete.

Discussion: Omanyala breaks Kenyan National 100m Record with 9.86

Related
Want More? Join The Supporters Club Today
Support independent journalism and get:
  • Exclusive Access to VIP Supporters Club Content
  • Bonus Podcasts Every Friday
  • Free LetsRun.com Shirt (Annual Subscribers)
  • Exclusive Discounts
  • Enhanced Message Boards