Africa's fastest man, Ferdinand Omanyala, has expressed gratitude to Kenyans for their messages of goodwill, despite his failure to reach the 100m finals at the Olympics. Speaking for the first time after not making it to the final, Omanyala metaphorically stated that the results do not signify the end of his pursuit of excellence in the race.

"Whatever you’re facing right now—it’s not the end of your story. God is with you and always will be. Thank you to everyone who believes that the Kenyan sprint story will never be the same again," he shared on X.


Omanyala, who finished first in the heats leading up to the semi-finals, unfortunately did not make it to the final, finishing eighth in the semi-final with a time of 10.08 seconds.

Despite his hopes of becoming the first Kenyan to reach the Olympics 100m final, Omanyala fell short. He entered the Olympics as the second fastest man and had been confident that he was a better athlete compared to his performance at the Tokyo Olympics, where he was eliminated after placing third (10.00) in semi-final 1.

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Reflecting on the past three years, Omanyala noted significant achievements, including Commonwealth and African titles and several Diamond League wins. "Three years is a long time for an athlete to grow," he said, emphasizing his continuous development and determination.