Ferdinand Omanyala earned the title of Kenya’s fastest man after running 100m in 9.77s in 2021. After registering a blistering fast Olympic qualifier time of 9.79s, the track and field star looked like Kenya’s best hope for Olympic gold in 100m. While Noah Lyles and Kishane Thompson won the Olympic gold and silver, respectively after registering the same time in the finals, Omanyala was nowhere to be seen.

Unfortunately, Africa’s fastest man had bowed out of the Olympic medal contention. In the third semifinals inside Stade de France, Omanyala clocked in a disappointing 10.08s fishing. So fans are not impressed with the sprinter despite a triumphant return to form at the ongoing Josko Laufmeeting in Austria. For the fans, his victory felt hollow.

The Kenyan track and field icon won the international meet clocking in 10.00s in the finals. However, he ran even during Round 1 – Heat 5, clocking a wind-assisted time of 9.95s. However, the sprinter was unable to replicate this performance during the Olympic semis. The Commonwealth Games gold medalist went up against favorite Kishane Thompson in Paris.

The Jamaican won the semifinal with 9.80s on the clock, while USA’s Fred Kerley also progressed. Yet, the Kenyan didn’t live up to the pre-Olympic hype, finishing 8th in the 9-man semifinals. Thus Ferdinand Omanyala didn’t even get a chance to square up against eventual gold medalist Noah Lyles.

It was a disappointing end to the African champion’s Olympic campaign as he came to Paris boasting a faster season-best than Lyles. Hence, despite the quick turnaround, the track and field community couldn’t get behind the Kenyan star.

The track and filed community dubs Ferdinand Omanyala as a choker

“Where was he when it counted the most, like at the Olympics?” asked one fan. While the 28-year-old didn’t speak about his poor performance at Paris 20204, netizens seem convinced that the nerves got the better of the sprinter. The pressure to perform on the grandest stage has even crippled legends such as Simone Biles. So it won’t be surprising if Omanyala got nervous.

The track and field community didn’t veil the harshness in their comments. “Omanyala always freezes and disappoints when it matters most,” wrote one individual. The fan said that Ferdinand Omanyala was the opposite of Noah Lyles. “America, I got this!” Lyles confidently proclaimed ahead of the Olympics and said “I told you…” after making history at the Paris Olympics.

However, fans believe Kenya’s fastest man lacks such confidence when the stakes are high. One netizen compared the track star with a Jamaican sprinting legend. “The biggest choker behind Asafa Powell,” the individual commented. Despite becoming the fourth-fastest man alive with a 9.72s 100m spent, Powell only has one Olympic relay gold.

Yet, the fan had good reason to make the comparison as Asafa Powell has admitted to being unable to handle the pressure of performing at the Olympic Games. Meanwhile, a handful of track and field enthusiasts had some constructive criticism for Omanyala. “He needs to continue to run overseas. He was MIA at the Olympics cause his body is used to Kenyan altitude,” commented a user.

Another user highlighted that running in an international event won’t be enough. The X-user explained that he needed to work on his consistency. “If he wants to medal he consistently needs to run under 10s, all 8 finalists in the Olympics ran under 10s,” wrote the fan. Although Omamyala won the Josko Laufmeeting, he wouldn’t have made it past Kishane Thompson even if he ran 9.95s in the Olympic semifinals.

Ferdinand Omanyala will be 32 by the time LA28 rolls around. While he has four years to fine-tune his craft, the LA Olympics may be his last chance to prove his mettle on the grandest stage. Will the Kenyan track and field icon change the community’s opinion in the upcoming Olympics? Tell us what you feel in the comments.