Kenya’s superstar Ferdinand Omanyala has warned his 100m rivals during the World Athletics Championship in Budapest in August that he has grown into a big boy in the race.

Africa’s fastest sprinter said the rivals should know something big awaits them during the championship that will be held from Saturday, August 19 to Sunday, August 27 in Hungary.

During the national trials on Saturday at the Nayo Stadium, Omanyala registered the third-fastest time in the world this year in the men’s 100 metres. He ran 9.85 seconds, which means he missed his season’s best by 0.1 seconds.

Omanyala’s warning shots

“I already qualified for Budapest a long time ago, but it feels nice to have run 9.85 here. It was a surprise, but the focus is on Budapest, and I feel better prepared than I was for Oregon 2022,” said Omanyala.

“I have been looking for chances to compete, and now I have them, which is good. I am prepared to run two races a month.

“I am also a big boy now. I see people running good times, and others are dropping out of the race for Budapest. My opponents should know what awaits them in Budapest,” Omanyala said after his participation in the trials at the Nyayo Stadium.

A 9.84 victory at the Kip Keino Classic in May meant he was the second fastest man after Briton Hughes Zharnel’s 9.83 on June 24 this year.

Wanyonyi shines

Meanwhile, Emmanuel Wanyonyi emerged as the winner in the 800m and qualified for the Budapest Championships too. Peninah Mutisya was the winner in her respective race and also qualified for the global bonanza.

Wanyonyi became the winner after clocking 1:44.09, with Alex Ng’eno finishing second after running 1:44.21, and both automatically qualified. For running in 1:44.71, Olympic 800m silver medallist Ferguson Rotich, finished third and missed a ticket to Hungary.

“I felt strong in the race, and I was just out to finish among the top places to be in a good place for Budapest. Things look good, and I ask our fans to stand behind us as we prepare to go to Budapest,” Wanyonyi is quoted as saying after the national trials.

Mutisya showed resilience and hard work to claim the victory after clocking one minute and 59.55 seconds, and the qualification for the Budapest championship means she will be making her first appearance in the world event.

Mutisya saw off Vivian Chebet, who came second in 2:00.30, but both grabbed tickets to the August showpiece.

Moraa’s ticket

By virtue of winning the Diamond League trophy in the women’s 800m in 2022, Kenya’s superstar Mary Moraa assured herself of a place in the Budapest event.

Finally, Beatrice Chepkoech will represent the country in the 3,000m steeplechase to qualify for the World Athletics Championships, while Simon Koech was the men’s winner in the same competition.

Chepkoech, who is the 2019 world champion, won the race in nine minutes and 09.43 seconds to beat Commonwealth Games champion Jackline Chepkoech (9:14.56) to second place, while Faith Cherotich became third.

“My body feels good, and I have drawn a lot of inspiration from Faith Kipyegon. It felt good to pace her when she won the 5,000m race in Paris, a world record-breaking feat. Now the focus is on Budapest, where we hope for the best,” Beatrice Chepkoech said, as quoted by a local media outlet.