Nairobi — Isaac Omurwa, the younger brother to African record holder and Commonwealth Games 100m champion Ferdinand Omanyala is keen to follow in the latter's footsteps, and has vowed to one day beat him and break his records.
Omurwa has just recently started his feet in the sprints, after completing High School, where he scored a B+. He says his brother's success and influence has been huge in taking up the sport.
"I can say he has influenced me 90pc. He has been the one encouraging me to take up the sport and he has allowed me to train with him in the gym and on the track, things that are not easy to get for anyone starting up the sport. He has also helped me a lot with equipment," Omurwa told Capital Sport on the sidelines of a training session at the Kasarani Stadium.
The 18-year old fresh graduate from Alliance High School has just competed in two races so far. He competed at the Trials for the East Africa Under-18 Championships where he won with a time of 10.73secs. This was his first competitive race.
His second competitive race was at the Championships in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, where he won in 10.72secs, his now personal best.
His journey has followed a similar trajectory to his elder brother, who also switched to sprints from rugby.
"I started training in January this year. In school, I would run but not serious. I was playing rugby. I was concentrating more on studies than in sports. So this year in January I just said as I wait to join University, let me try the sport, of course with Ferdi's influence," said Omurwa.
He adds; "I just noticed that I love sports a lot and I decided to try it out. Now, I see that I can make something out of athletics. I can make a career from it and I am now training harder with more focus."
He says he wants to follow in the footsteps of his elder brother, and he jokes that one day he will beat him in a race.
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"I want to follow in his footsteps and break his records. I usually tell him that one day I will run with him and beat him and he is happy to hear that. He wants that as well," notes the younger Omanyala.
The senior African record holder is proud to see his brother's achievement and ambition so far. "I am happy for him. He is really talented and if he works hard, he can be the next star. I keep encouraging him and giving him advice and I want to ensure he keeps his discipline and works hard."
Omurwa's next target is to qualify for the Africa Under-20 Championships, with the trials scheduled for this weekend at the Nyayo National Stadium. After that, he wants to go all the way and earn a medal.
In the long run, his eyes are targeted on the next World Under-20 Championships, where he also hopes to earn qualification time.
"I want to try and do well in the trials and the target is to run under 10.5. From there, I want to go and battle for the African title. That will mean we have a junior and senior African title in the house," jokes Omurwa.
He adds; "Next up I will try the World Championships but for now, my focus is on Africa."
Omurwa further adds that he feels he has had the perfect start to his career, and the influence of his elder brother has played a pivotal role in keeping him grounded and focused.
He hopes he can one day be a world icon like his brother has become, and ensure that the Omurwa family rules sprints in Kenya and the world for the next several years.
