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Omanyala recalls eating 15 chapatis in one sitting after his first athletics win
20th November, 2025 06:37 AM
Africa’s fastest man, Ferdinand Omanyala, has opened up about his humble beginnings in athletics, sharing how his first-ever race in Mumias, Kakamega County, came with zero experience and an unforgettable celebration.
Speaking during an interview with Dr Ofweneke, Omanyala said that his athletics journey started by chance, long before he became Africa’s fastest man.
He recalled showing up for his first event in 2016 with no background in track and how he almost gave up after seeing his competitors.
“My first event was in Mumias. I had no experience because I had never done track. I was the first person in the field, and I started seeing the proper athletes walking in wearing Kenyan kits karibu nirudi Nairobi,” Omanyala recalled.
The Kenyan sprint star said other competitors underestimated him, with some even mocking him.
“I remember nilitishiwa sana people were talking, ‘who is this guy huyu ni mtu wa rugby hapa tutakushinda‘, but I won the race,” he said.
Celebration
What began as fun quickly turned into a proud moment after he was awarded Ksh5000, his first-ever reward from running.
To celebrate, Omanyala chose food over anything fancy.
“I was doing it for fun, but after winning, I was rewarded Ksh5000, and I was so proud of myself,” Omanyala disclosed.
“Hiyo day nilipiga sherehe. sherehe yangu ilikuwa kukula. Tulienda kwa hoteli nikaitisha chapati 15, sherehe yangu ilikuwa hiyo chapatti 15, na supu; that lady never served me; she served everyone else. They thought I was joking, lakini wakaniletea na nikapiga sherehe.”
How Rugby led him to Athletics
Omanyala said he discovered his true purpose in 2015 while playing rugby. A teammate who noticed his speed told him he was in the wrong sport and encouraged him to try athletics.
“I got my purpose in 2015, because in the club I joined, there was a guy who used to run; he told me I was in the wrong career because of the running speed I had,” he said.
“This guy told me to try athletics. I called my dad and told him I want to do track; he gave me money to buy running shoes and tights, and I started training.”
By 2016, he was juggling rugby and athletics, treating track as trial and error, unaware that it would later change his life.
“I went for my first event in 2016. I was still playing rugby and still doing games, but for this, I was doing trial and error,” Omanyala stated.
Breaking African record
In addition, he said 2021 was his breakthrough year, the season he broke the African 100m record.
“I had a very good 2021 because that was my breakthrough; I did not see it coming,” he shared.
“After nimevunja hiyo record, it took me like three months for me to understand; sometimes I was waking up at 3:00 am, like this could be a good dream. I wake and am like it is happening naangalia hata simu narudi back to the photos nasema I did break the African record.”
He says that after setting the record, no one else has broken it, and he is determined to break his own record
“We are only like ten people in the world who have ever run that time faster; that was in 2021,” Omanyala revealed.
“That record has taken a while; it was set in 2006 by a Nigerian national; it was 15 years old, but that year, a South African had broken it two months before we ran. I broke his record, and it has not yet been broken, but I will break it because I think I am the only person who can break it.”
