NAIROBI, Kenya, Apr 26 – African 100m record holder Ferdinand Omanyala easily cruised to victory in the heats at the Athletics Kenya National Championships on Tuesday at the Kasarani Stadium, clocking an impressive 10.03secs, the fourth fastest time ever run on Kenyan soil.
Omanyala now owns the second, third and fourth fastest times on Kenyan soil, having run 9.77secs at the Kip Keino Classic last year and 10.02secs in qualifying for the Olympic Games at the Kenyan trials.
Omanyala who has already competed in two 100m races in South Africa, winning both against tough competition on top of his Indoor tour races at the beginning of the year, showed sublime form even when it looked not to use so much energy.
He has confirmed that he will vie for a place in the Kenyan team for the Africa Athletics Championships set to be staged in Mauritius from June 8-12.
“There is no championship I am leaving out. I will be tackling each one of them. With the form I am in I can go to for Africa championship with full of confidence. Of course it bothers me that I am the African record holder but no title to match the record. I want to go there and win the Championship to boost my confidence,” Omanyala stated.
The semis of the 100m sprint will be staged on Day Two of the National Championships, which Athletics Kenya is using to select the Kenyan team to Mauritius.
Behind Omanyala in his heat was Daniel Simiyu from North Rift and Nyanza South’s Jason Ogega who timed 10.69 and 11.19 respectively.
At the same time, Maxmilla Imali, the women’s national record holder won the corresponding women’s race in 12.38secs while Linda Kageha won the second heat in 12.12sec. Kenya Police’s Monica Safania won the third heat in 12.38 while 2015 African Games 100m silver medallist Eunice Kadogo blazed 12.28secs to win Heat Four.
-Chepng’etich easily wins 10,000m race-
Meanwhile, World Marathon Champion Ruth Chepng’etich breezed to easy victory in the women’s 10,000m final, the only finale on the opening day of the Championships.
The World Champion clocked 31:47.9 to win the race ahead of former African Cross Country Champion Alice Aprot who timed 32:01.0 at a distant second and Judy Komen from the Kenya Defense Forces finishing third in 32:32.6.
Chepng’etich has already been confirmed into the Kenyan marathon team for the World Championships in Oregon in July and says her participation in track competitions is for speedwork. She also won the Kenya Prisons Championship last weekend.
“I am out here seeking to improve on my speed work. I have taken off some seconds from what I recorded two weeks ago, I see that as part of progress,” the 27-year old stated.
Meanwhile, Aprot who finished second has earned a place in the Kenyan team to the African Championships and she also eyes a possible stab at the Commonwealth Games and the World Championships.
The post Omanyala clocks impressive 10.03secs at AK Champs as World Champ Ruth breezes through 10k appeared first on Capital Sports.