Africa’s fastest man, Ferdinand Omanyala, was on Wednesday, September 22 gifted a brand new car by a betting firm.

In a star-studded event held at the New Stanley Hotel, Omanyala was presented with keys to his news car by the firm’s general manager. The vehicle comes as a reward for breaking the African 100 metres record.

Omanyala could not hide his joy after receiving the car.

“As I ran the race on Saturday at the Kasarani Sports stadium, I did not know right now I would be the proud owner of a car,” he stated. The car’s number plate will bear the number 977, an emblem of the time the 25-year-old set to become the continent’s fastest man.

He received his car alongside his girlfriend, thanking her for supporting him – including with payment of bills before fame came calling. 

Omanyala set a new continental record after running 100m in just 9.77 seconds during the Kip Keino Classics Held at the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani. 

He impressed President Uhuru Kenyatta who was up on his feet as he witnessed the nail-biting race. This earned him a moment with the Head of State who was proud of Kenya’s best sprinter.

His run also impressed international sprinter Justin Gatlin who termed him as a force to reckon with in the future.

The sensational sprinter has been on a record-breaking spree. During the 2020 Tokyo Olympics held in July 2021, he became the first Kenyan to reach the semi-finals of the Olympics.

He clocked 10.00 seconds, bowing out in the process but with his head held high above his shoulders.

This was after he broke the national record during the Olympic qualifiers. Shortly after the Olympic games, Omanyala became the first Kenyan man to run sub-10 after clocking a time of 9.96 seconds in Austria.

In a separate event, Omanyala and his girlfriend were gifted a vacation by a local tour and travel company.