How 60-metre dash compares to 100-metre run as Omanyala sets target
Africa's fastest man, Ferdinand Omanyala will be on high alert on Saturday, March 19, 2022, at the Belgrade indoor championships as he targets to wash out top competitors in the 60-metre dash race.
What becomes more interesting is just why the 60m and not the normal 100m. Well to put it all into perspective, the 60m dash is a championship event for indoor championships, normally dominated by the best outdoor 100 metres runners.
American Christian Coleman currently holds the men's world record in the 60 metres with a time of 6.34 seconds, while Russian Irina Privalova holds the women's world record at 6.92.
In comparison to its predecessor, the outdoor 100m sprint has traditionally been considered one of the glamorous events in athletics.
These races are largely based upon the athlete’s ability to accelerate to his or her maximum speed in the quickest time possible.
A race requiring explosive power rather than endurance, these athletes endure painful amounts of lactic acid that accumulate in their muscles as they power up across the distance, unlike the 60m dash which is much more quick and short.
Runners in the 100m race remain in assigned lanes. The fastest runners are given the middle lanes of a multi-heat event. Unlike the 60m dash where lane placement isn’t as vital as the 100m lane is straight.
While a fast start from the block is important for psychological reasons, runners who have been beaten out of their blocks do have time to recover the lost distance.
Omanyala has had an outstanding indoor season that saw him run 6.57 seconds at the Meeting Hauts-de- France Pas-de-Calais in Lievin, France. The time still stands as the national record.
Omanyala will line up in heat six of the preliminaries at 12:45 pm alongside Poland’s Adrian Brzezinski who boasts of the same Personal Best (PB) time as the Kenyan. Marcell Jacobs of Italy who is currently the 100m champ will also be sharing the starting line alongside Omanyala.
“It’s a huge field, and I’m looking forward to a fantastic event,” Omanyala said.
