Kenyan sprinter Ferdinand Omanyala will be working under new coach Geoffrey Kimani ahead of the Olympic Games in Paris, France, and a busy 2024 season.

Through his X (Twitter) handle, Kimani confirmed he had taken over the role of coaching Africa’s fastest man terming it a new dawn. Kimani wrote: “New Dawn…Back on track, and greatly honoured to take up the role of sprints Coach to Ferdinand Omanyala through a busy 2024 season,” adding: “We will be kicking off the season with the World Indoors in March 2024… Onto the hard work!”

Omanyala, who has already kicked off training in readiness for the Olympic Games, was initially working under coach Duncan Ayiemba. Ayiemba is credited with honing Omanyala’s skills since 2015. He single-handedly guided Omanyala to a historic feat at the 2021 Kip Keino Classic where the sprints star smashed the African record, after posting 9.77 to finish second behind American Trayvon Bromellin who won in 9.76.

Omanyala later opened a new chapter in the annals of history as the first Kenyan sprinter to storm the 100m semi-finals in his debut at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. He went on to tuck away the Africa 100m and 4x100m titles before lighting up the country with the coveted gold medal bagged at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. Omanyala fizzled out to a disappointing seventh-place finish in the finals of the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary in August.

Before the Budapest heartbreak, Omanyala made history as the first Kenyan to win a 100m race at the Diamond League after blazing to victory in the Monaco leg on July 21.