Omanyala Warns That Kenya Could Miss Out on Future Sprinting Stars Without Early Talent Development
Literally, without a structured progression from the local scene to higher competitions, most talented sprinters quit or do not realise their potential.
Africa’s fastest man Ferdinand Omanyala . Photo/Courtesy
By Ruth Sang
Concern about the Kenyan approach in nurturing sprinting talent has been raised by Commonwealth Games champion Ferdinand Omanyala, who warned that without an early identification and development program, the country risks losing future champions. Though known globally for its distance running, in Omanyala’s view, Kenya has great untapped sprinting ability, which is either undeveloped due to the late exposure of athletes or due to a lack of support structures.
Omanyala was speaking at a sprint talent scouting and subsequent development program in Kajiado County, where young athletes were congregated from various parts of the region to showcase their speed. He said that Kenya has a raw, dumb potential spanning the entire country, but there is nothing organised for young-from-grass-root players-to-train systematically into national stardom. In his view, these are the niches from which most potential athletes have fallen short of making it to elite stardom-they are just being ignored.
Stressing the importance of beginning early, Omanyala noted that a great reward for a coach or trainer is the young athlete. He said that during and after the program, some were as young as 12 years-old and already on sprint training, which, in his view, was some sort of an ideal start. At that level, he argued, young athletes are still more flexible physically and mentally, giving them greater ability to absorb coaching instructions and develop correct techniques.
He elaborated that when young, talented kids are opened to sprinting from the very early age of 12-14 years, that is when coaches can really develop the running form, discipline, and competitive mindset of athletes before they get to establish bad habits. With a suitable kind of guidance at an early age, these athletes will become better positioned to develop on a strong foundation through national and international competition. Omanyala said that any delay in the process would only render it more difficult for athletes later on in their careers.
Apart from this, he observed a lack of clear development pathways for young sprinters as a major challenge. Literally, without a structured progression from the local scene to higher competitions, most talented sprinters quit or do not realise their potential. Access to competitions, coaching expertise, and training facilities continues to hamper sprinting growth in Kenya, according to him.
“The one big barrier that continues to exist for now is opportunity,” said Omanyala. “Most of those great athletes don’t really get the exposure or support they need to go that far.” He did express some optimism, however, that with focused programs such as the one in Kajiado, this gap can be closed and opportunities brought to the very young athletes while helping them discover their strengths with the help of credible coaches.
As per this initiative, the sprinters, who will be selected, will undergo advanced training and exposure to competitive events under Athletics Kenya. The initiative forms part of a larger strategy to develop sprinting at the grassroots level and ensure the creation of a reliable pipeline of talent in future.
The program is now being viewed as yet another key step in broadening the arena for athletic glory for the country, in addition to long-distance events. By purposefully investing in speed talent from a young age, the various actors hope to ensure the position of the country as a regular sprinting powerhouse both within the continent and globally.
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