Yohan Blake, a Jamaican sprinter specializing in the 100-metre and 200-metre sprint races, has replied to Kenyan sprinter Ferdinand Omanyala in recent heroics in the athletic arena.
Blake’s appreciation post comes days before Omanyala is set to debut in this year’s Diamond League, and the message from his mentor will surely be a morale booster to the fast-rising speedster.
The Jamaican sprinter taking time from his busy schedule to wish Omanyala as he prepares to debut at the Diamond league.
“I love how you are running, and I can only wish you the best and guarantee you can achieve anything you want. The sky is the limit,” a post sent direct to Omanyala read.
In an interview with K24 Digital, Omanyala regarded Blake as a mentor and inspired him to run during his amateur days as a sprinter.
“Blake has been my hero and running against my hero at the Olympics before going on to win was a dream come true, and now a motivation ahead of the diamond league will be my inspiration going forward,” Omanyala said
Omanyala is the current national 100 m record holder and was elated after being named to participate in the Diamond League in Brussels on Friday.
The Kenyan sprinter has been setting and breaking his own records at will, and it remains unclear how far he can go.
Blake is the second-fastest man ever in both 100 m and 200 m.
Together with Tyson Gay, Blake is the joint second-fastest man ever over 100 m with a personal best of 9.69 seconds, which he ran on 23 August 2012. Only Usain Bolt has run faster (9.58s and 9.63s)
Blake has been regarded as one of the fastest men to ever grace the Olympics, having won gold at the 100 m at the 2011 World Championships as the youngest 100 m world champion ever.
The speedster has also won a silver medal in the 2012 Olympic Games in London in the 100 m and 200 m races for the Jamaican team.
Omanyala will be looking to replicate his mentor’s heroics as he seeks to showcase his pace in the upcoming Diamond league meeting in Brussels.
The Diamond League is an annual series of elite track and field athletic competitions, comprising fourteen of the best invitational athletics meetings.
The winner in each discipline at the final is awarded a Diamond League Trophy and 30,000 USD in prize money, an equivalent of 3,279,000.00 Kenyan Shilling.
