A wise man once said there’s always a light at the end of the tunnel, this describes the story of Ferdinand Omanyala.
It’s been a roller coaster of emotions for Mr. Omanyala from running the fastest time by a Kenyan over 100m (10.01) to Athletics Kenya refusing to recognise his efforts in Nigeria as a national record.
However, Omanyala now has a reason to smile after Kenya’s leading betting firm Odibets gave him a Sh1,500,000 financial boost in a bid to support his athletics career.
The initiative comes after Omanyala's brilliant performance in Nigeria that has seen him qualify for the Olympics.
“I feel good that Odibets came in to support me. It gives me hope for a brighter future,” said Omanyala, while disclosing that the deal with the betting firm was not a formal one yet. “It's like a gesture of support. Supporting talent at all levels,” said Omanyala.
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Speaking to journalists, Odibets Country marketing manager Aggrey Sayi said that the betting firm decided to support Omanyala because his hardwork and talent could be clearly seen from his recent performance.
"We decided to support Omanyala after his brilliant performance over the past few months that has seen him qualify for the Olympics, the token we have offered him will help him grow his career to the next level," said Mr. Sayi.
On the other hand, the AK had rejected Omanyala's 10.01 record after receiving a letter from the Director-General of Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) claiming that the 3rd MoC Grand Prix held on March 30 and 31 was not sanctioned by the Athletics Federation of Nigeria.
However, the organisers of Making of Champions Relays stated that they’ve been in partnership with the AFN since the first edition of the event in 2018.
“All the results from every edition of the MoC Grand Prix, including the third edition on 30th–31st March 2021, were valid and legitimate, and it can easily be verified online that all the results have long since been ratified by World Athletics. Within Nigeria, only the AFN can ratify and send results to World Athletics, which has clearly been the case with the MoC Grand Prix. AFN has not suddenly ‘un-sanctioned’ the MoC Grand Prix,” the MoC organisers state.
