By Elias Makori
The Harambee Starlets’ high-performance, strictly scientific training camp in France was hit by a culinary coup on Sunday, courtesy of Kenya’s sprinting sensation Ferdinand Omanyala.
Breaking the monotony of European sports diets (respect to French culinary prowess), Omanyala and Team Kenya’s southern France point man, Daniel Chirchir, pulled off a tactical masterclass by smuggling authentic Kenyan delicacies directly into the team's base.
While coach Beldine Odemba has been drill-sergeanting her 24-player squad through rigorous defensive shapes and attacking transitions, Omanyala realized what the team actually needed: premium carbohydrates!
Forget protein shakes and isotonic gels. Africa’s fastest man Omanyala and Chirchir "shipped in" a heavy-duty supply of ugali, chapatis, cabbage, bananas, and freshly prepared nyama (meat).
As Chirchir exclusively told Pura Vida Sports Africa, "They were very happy."
Because nothing screams elite sports science quite like a solid plate of ugali to get you through tactical drills.
Omanyala is currently pitching his own pre-Commonwealth Games camp in Miramas.
Showing off his famous speed, he zoomed 39 minutes down the A8 highway just to make sure the food arrived hot at the Starlets' Aix-en-Provence address.
The surprise feast took place at the Stade Georges Carcassonne, a historic venue built in 1953. While the stadium boasts a lush natural grass pitch and a grandstand fit for 1,700 roaring fans, it had definitely never smelled like Kenyan nyama choma before Sunday.
The Starlets are utilizing the facility to acclimatize to scorching, North Africa-esque summer conditions. This is crucial because their Group A schedule is an absolute gauntlet.
The 24-player squad is preparing for a highly competitive campaign in Group A where their schedule will be against hosts Morocco (July 26), Senegal (July 30) and Algeria (August 3).
Before speeding back to his own track blocks, the reigning Commonwealth 100m champion left the team with some gold-standard advice: "I told them that there is no hard or big game," Omanyala shared with Pura Vida Sports Africa.
"They have earned their position in the tournament so they should get in there as the champions they are and handle every game as it comes."
With stomachs full of ugali and minds fueled by a champion's blessing, the Starlets look more than ready to take on Morocco next week! (Photos: Courtesy of Team Kenya in France)
