Jamaica has had a stronghold on track and field due to the likes of the world’s fastest man, Usain Bolt, Shericka Jackson, and more. While America has been slowly winding them down, another nation might make things slightly tricky. At the Kenyan Olympic Trials, Ferdinand Omanyala breezed past his competition, clinching an effortless gold in the 100m finals. He clocked 9.79 seconds, the first time an athlete has run under 9.8 seconds. Not only had Omanyala set a new world lead, but he was now 2024’s Fastest Man as well!

However, the 2-time African champion wasn’t the most confident before achieving this monumental feat. “I don’t want to proceed to the Olympic season with a lot of doubts in my mind because such a situation is bound to impact negatively on my performance.” He had spent several years honing his skills under Duncan Ayiemba. But to his dismay, it only led to inconsistent performances in meets. So, the Kenyan sprinter had an important decision to make: change his focus and coach. Looking at his performance in the trials, it seems like it worked! But who helped him make this change?

Who is Geoffrey Kimani?

Ferdinand Omanyala said at a pre-Olympics camp in 2023, “I worked with coach Kim in the Pre-Olympic camp and I learnt a lot (from him).” The Commonwealth Games winner was still training under his previous coach around this time. But he was looking forward to clinch his first Olympic gold in the French capital, and Omanyala was convinced Kimani would be able to help him reach that goal. But who is Geoffrey Kimani?

Geoffrey Kimani used to be a sprinter way before he decided to delve into coaching. Back in 1991, Kimani had even won the Kenya National Junior 100m race. This is where his passion to compete came through. But after an early retirement from the sport, that’s the only option that seemed right to him. Kimani decided to focus on sprints and hurdles, and he understood how important strength and power-training would be. This set him on the path to being a strength and conditioning coach.

He first stepped into the spotlight when he joined the Kenya 7s rugby team in 2007. Kimani started out with a free session first, but was later instated to look after speed training. The renowned coach was also a part of the delegation when Kenya 7s made it to the World Seven Series Finals in 2009. This opened doors for Kimani and he was soon associated with Kenya 15s rugby team, Mathare United Soccer team, and Uganda Rugby Sevens, Tusker, and Kenya Harlequin.

Geoffrey Kimani’s career highlights and achievements

“We want him to minimize the time spent on the ground and in the air. So if he can be able to minimize that with 0.01 of a second, then it significantly improves everything,” Kimani said before the Paris Olympics. World Rugby Strength and Conditioning Educator and World Athletics Sprints and Hurdles Lecturer Geoffrey Kimani has reminisced about the path to regaining the top spot for middle blocker Triza Atuka and the Kenya women’s volleyball team, Malkia Strikers. This might sound weird: Ferdinand Omanyala is a track and field athlete, whereas Triza Atuka is a Kenyan volleyball player, and Geoffrey Kimani is related to both.

Well, Kimani has trained or coached different sports athletes. Geoffrey Kimani was likely the first coach in Kenya to coach national teams in football, rugby sevens, and now athletics. In 2015, Kimani was now coaching sprinters for the World Athletics Championships. Due to his experience, he found himself working with Team Kenya leading up to the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. He was the lead consultant of the National Olympic Committee of Kenya’s Strength and Conditioning. Kimani’s primary task was to train national team coaches for the Summer Games and he took up this responsibility again during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Geoffrey Kimani’s pride and influence on Omanyala’s Journey to success

One of the many things Omanyala struggled with, despite dominating on the tracks, was juggling academics and athletics. Finding time for chemistry with a rigorous training plan in place was almost impossible for the athlete. “The first meeting we held he [Kimani] told me go back to school.” Omanyala states that while training was always longer before, under Kimani it is short but intense. This has given the sprinter more things to look forward to off the track.

However, the high-intensity training took some getting used to. “It was a difficult first week and I was on the verge of quitting and returning to my previous state.” The training included a healthy mix of hypertrophy, dietary, and physiology. But the sprinter nearly gave up after feeling sick during one of his training sessions. It’s a good thing he didn’t, because look at where it got him! The 100-metre champion said, “I have always hated training. I have never loved training. I’ve been looking forward to races as a safe space for my mind.” 

Kimani’s wanted to make Omanyala the perfect running machine. So how did he achieve that? He decided to put the sprinter through various physical and weather conditions, preparing him for every scenario during his sprint. Another way of maintaining this was ensuring he featured in lesser events and didn’t worry about stepping upon a podium. Sounds quite odd, doesn’t it? But the coach has an explanation for that as well!

Omanyala has often peaked early on in the season. But Kimani wanted to make sure he was prepared for when they set foot in the French capital. So he wasn’t too surprised when the sprinter came fifth in the Kip Keino Classic after clocking in 10.03 seconds. It was all part of the plan! Now, what does Geoffrey Kimani have up his sleeve? Only time will tell what Ferdinand Omanyala’s future holds for him.