The requirement of nearly $49,000 for a head-to-head race was a firm, non-negotiable condition. For Africa’s fastest man, Ferdinand Omanyala, a potential exhibition race with IShowSpeed was not about being challenged but about the serious business of professional sport.

As seen on X, @KenyanSays uploaded a video of Omanyala’s interview, where he laid out the reason why him racing the YouTuber without proper terms and conditions was impossible. “I’m not an influencer, man. I do this for money, and I have big companies like Adidas, Toyota. These guys are paying me because of running. So, me coming to do something like an exhibition run, that means I have to post some of the things that I’m doing and come to you,” he explained.

“No, for him, after that run, God forbid, he gets an injury, he still continues in the streams, even with crutches. But for me, what happens? You know, I need to earn from running, so that’s why I need to cover my bases.” This confession is more of a reality check. Track and field as a sport already has a lot of financial problems, and for an active runner like Omanyala, a single injury can ruin his season and majorly impact his earnings.

However, the Kenyan runner doesn’t want to sour any prospect of their meeting. He said, “But I’m looking forward to hang out with him, even if it’s for 10-20 minutes. You know, just have a chat. If not running, we can plan that.” Again, Omanyala explained the running terms, saying, “Because if we’re running, man, it has to be serious. I’m not doing 50 meters, I’m not doing 60 meters. So, if he comes and wants to race, we have to do a proper one. We have to fill a stadium.”

For Omanyala, who will kick off his 2026 track and field season at the Meeting Miramas Métropole in France on January 30, the conditions that the Kenyan has put up are quite professional. Every race like this is an opportunity for him to make money, and he also wants the race to become a public spectacle with a full stadium that would be cheering for the athletes.

However, for IShowSpeed, this challenge could have been proof of how much faster he has gotten since the last time he raced an Olympian.

IShowSpeed’s pace might have been a perfect challenge for Ferdinand Omanyala

Apart from the digital fame that he has achieved through streaming on YouTube, IShowSpeed showcased a lot of athletic potential by racing Olympians like Noah Lyles and Letsile Tebogo. At first, he raced the American with a $100,000 challenge in a 50m dash.

“Noah, I promise I’m going to beat you. My name is Speed for a reason,” the YouTuber said before the race, yet the results were different. The two were neck-to-neck, but eventually Lyles just obliterated IShowSpeed. And when the 100m Olympic champion was asked for a rematch, he straight up denied it.

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“You should practice with me, and then at the end of the week we’ll race again. … And then you’ll be faster, you’ll know what to do, you’ll have the technique, you’ll have an advantage and then we can run the real man’s race: the 100,” Lyles said. Then, in a part of his Speed Does Africa tour, IShowSpeed challenged Tebogo, the 200m Olympic champion.

The race began, but Tebogo appeared to have slipped due to his block sliding backwards. Even if the race continued, the 50m dash was easily won by IShowSpeed, leaving the Olympic champion behind. “You want to go again?” Speed asked, but Tebogo replied, “It’s fine, I let you take the win.” So, this was another reason why a race between him and Omanyala was something that many looked forward to.