Africa’s fastest man Ferdinand Omanyala is itching to meet a horse named after him in Australia.

Omanyala, the horse, is a two-year-old chestnut gelding from Australia trained by T & N Busuttin & Young based at Cranbourne.

According to Australian horse racing website racenet, Omanyala was sired by the stallion Written Tycoon out of the dam Bandol.

“Omanyala has managed to win one race in its career so far. On May 25, 2024 at Wodonga, Omanyala was ridden by Brad Rawiller and scored its most significant win to date, getting the money in the Australian Dollar 27,000 (Sh2.3 million) two-year-old Open Handicap, defeating Ignazio,” a statement on racenet reads.

Omanyala, notes the website, has proven a profitable horse for the punters over the journey.  

The 28-year-old Kenyan sprinter told the Nation Sport that he got the news about that horse a few weeks ago.

“When I was told about the horse, I was happy because maybe that’s the only one that we know. I’m sure there are pets out there called Omanyala, but I’d love to meet that horse. Maybe my spirit is in him, so I’m happy about it,” Omanyala said.

“I mean Omanyala is getting to be a household name not just in Kenya, but in the world, so it is something that is really encouraging,” he said.

Omanyala is the ninth fastest man in the world after winning the 100m dash at Kip Keino Classic Continental Tour in 9.77 seconds at the Moi International Sports Centre Kasarani in September 2021.

“That means that Omanyala is known for speed, so I’m hoping that one day I will go and meet the family that owns that horse and maybe even get some percentage from the winning,” the sprinter jokingly said.

However, Omanyala admitted that he has never been a fan of horse racing.

Omanyala ran the world’s fastest time this year over 100m (9.79sec) at the national team trials for the Paris 2024 Olympics at the Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi on June 15, 2024.

Jamaican Kishane Thompson then bettered that time by 0.02 seconds on July 28 in Kingston.