Sports journalist Fred Arocho has come to the defense of world-renowned Kenyan athlete Ferdinand Omanyala after his performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

In a heated sports segment dubbed Mchakamchaka on TV47, Arocho stated that Omanyala had done exceedingly well. 

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Additionally, Arocho added that Omanyala had more chances to try his luck in the upcoming Olympic games.

Unfortunately, he missed out on the medal bracket after failing to make the finals of the 100m sprints when he finished a distant eighth during the semifinals.

According to Fred Arocho, Omanyala was still a decorated athlete despite the 2024 Paris Olympics outcome.

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Omanyala made history

In the sports segment, Fred Arocho differed from Lucky Herriano and host Duncan Mutua stating that Omanyala had made history.

From Arocho’s view, sprinter Omanyala had gotten to a level of qualification no Kenyan had done in previous Olympic games.

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The sprinter failed to qualify for the finals of the 100m sprints when he finished a distant eighth during the semifinal heats.

According to Arocho, Kenyans should be grateful that Omanaya represented Kenya in the semi-final heat at the Olympics.

He added that no Kenyan had gotten to the semi-finals of the 100m sprints at the Olympic games, making him the first-ever Kenyan to do so.

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Is he too big?

In the heat of the discussion, Radio47’s Sports journalist Lucky Herriano highlighted that Omanyala could have failed to qualify for the 100m sprints over his size.

According to Lucky, the sprinter was too oversized to fully compete in the race with less muscled athletes. 

However, Arocho disputed Lucky’s claim stating that Omanyala’s size had no bearing on his ability to take on races.

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“With his weight, Omanyala is the second fastest man in the world, let’s not lie to ourselves” Arocho insisted.

Additionally, Arocho shared that the 100m sprint was not an easy fit and slight variations could earn a win or a loss for any athlete, not just Omanyala.

“Name any Kenyan that has reached the semi-finals of the 100m in the Olympics, we are overthinking when it comes to Omanyala,” stated Arocho.

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