Commonwealth Games champion Ferdinand Omanyala has called for increased investment in sprinting following Kenya’s historic performance at the 2025 World Athletics Relays in Guangzhou, China.
Omanyala, part of the Kenyan men’s 4x100m relay team that qualified for the World Championships in Tokyo, emphasized the need to nurture more sprinting talent to establish Kenya as a global sprinting powerhouse.
“We have had a very good weekend at the World Relays. We are part of history now. It’s going to be written in the history books that this is the first Kenyan 4x100m team to qualify for a World Championship,” Omanyala said.
The Kenyan quartet, which included Boniface Mweresa, Meshack Babu, and Steve Odhiambo alongside Omanyala, secured their Tokyo ticket with a second-place finish in their qualifying heat, clocking a national record of 38.51 seconds.
Despite the celebration, Omanyala stressed that the real work begins now. “Now it’s getting down to business (in training).
I am sure the whole country has seen (what we can do) and they (government and Athletics Kenya) need to support our preparations (for Tokyo). We need a proper training camp since the World Championships will not be a walk in the park,” he noted.
Kenya’s success extended beyond the 4x100m team. The mixed 4x400m relay squad, comprising David Sanayek, Mercy Chebet, Brian Tinega, and Mercy Aoko, also qualified for Tokyo after earning a bronze medal with a season-best time of 3:13.10.
In the men’s 4x400m final, Kenya set a national record of 2:59.29, finishing fifth and cementing their status among elite relay nations.
Coach Stanley Towet praised the athletes’ dedication and the effectiveness of their preparation in Nairobi. “These athletes have worked hard… We’ve broken national records in all the events. This means our preparations in Nairobi were thorough,” he said, urging for continuity in the team’s composition ahead of Tokyo.
Sprinter Mercy Oketch, competing in her second major international event, expressed excitement about facing world-class competition and the opportunities ahead.
Kenya concluded the World Relays ranked joint ninth overall, sharing the position with Botswana, each securing one bronze medal. The event highlighted Kenya’s growing prowess in sprint events, traditionally overshadowed by its dominance in middle- and long-distance running.
