Eugene Omalla
{{Short description|Dutch-Ugandan athlete}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2024}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
| name = Eugene Omalla
| birth_name =
| image = Eugene_Omalla_(NED)_2024.jpg
| caption = Omalla at the Mount SAC Relays in 2024.
| nationality = Dutch / Ugandan
| sport = Athletics
| event = Sprints
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|2000|10|5|df=yes}}
| birth_place = Zoetermeer, Netherlands
| death_date =
| death_place =
| height = 6 ft 0 in
| weight =
| collegeteam = Kansas State Wildcats
| pb = 400 m: 46.06 (Commerce, 2023)
Indoors
400 m: 45.18 {{AthAbbr|AR|African}} (Lubbock , 2024)
| medaltemplates = {{Medal|Sport|Men's athletics}}
{{Medal|Country|the {{NED}}}}
{{Medal|Competition|Olympic Games}}
{{Medal|Gold|2024 Paris|4 × 400 m mixed}}
{{Medal|Competition|European Indoor Championships}}
{{Medal|Gold|2025 Apeldoorn|4 × 400 m}}
}}
Eugene Omalla (born 5 October 2000) is a Ugandan-Dutch sprinter, who specializes in the 400 metres. He holds the African indoor record over 400 metres. From April 2024, he has represented the Netherlands. He won a gold medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics in the mixed 4 × 400 metres relay.{{cite web |title=Eugene Omalla |website=World Athletics |accessdate=13 April 2024 |url=https://worldathletics.org/athletes/uganda/eugene-omalla-14833321}}
Early life
He has a twin brother, Jaime Omalla, who also competes in athletics. They have an Ugandan father called Timothy Omalla and a Dutch mother Wilma Omalla . They were born in Zoetermeer and lived in the Netherlands until they were seven years-old when they moved to Uganda. They both study at the Kansas State University in the United States. From 2024, they both run under the Netherlands flag, having both previously represented Uganda.{{cite web |url=https://www.runnersworld.com/nl/nieuws/a60463669/eugene-en-jaime-omalla-nederland/ |website=Runners World |accessdate=13 April 2024 |title=Sprinters Eugene and Jaime Omalla will now compete for the Netherlands |date=11 April 2024}}
Career
He ran an outdoors personal best of 46.06 seconds for the 400 metres in May 2023.{{cite web |url=https://nos.nl/artikel/2516361-sprinttweeling-omalla-komt-nederlandse-atletiekploeg-versterken |title=Sprint twins Omalla will join the Dutch athletics team |website=Nos.nl |date=11 April 2024 |accessdate=13 April 2024}} {{cite web |url=https://www.nhnieuws.nl/nieuws/n146843/sprinttweeling-omalla-komt-nederlandse-atletiekploeg-versterken |website=nhnieuws.nl |accessdate=13 April 2024 |title=Sprint twins Omalla will join the Dutch athletics team |date=11 April 2024}} He ran 45.18 seconds indoors to set a new African continental record for the 400 metres at the Sports Performance Center in Lubbock.{{cite web |url=https://www.atletiek.nl/artikelen/omalla-tweeling-komt-nederlandse-sprintploeg-versterken/ |website=Atletiek.nl |accessdate=13 April 2024 |date=11 April 2024 |title=Omalla twins will join the Dutch sprint team}}{{cite web |url=https://www.nu.nl/sport-overig/6308708/afrikaans-indoorrecordhouder-400-meter-versterkt-nederlandse-atletiekploeg.html?referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F |website=nu.nl |accessdate=13 April 2024 |title=African indoor record holder for 400 meters strengthens Dutch athletics team |date=11 April 2024}}
He qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championships in Boston, Massachusetts, to run in the 400 metres and the 4 × 400 m relay, in a team that included his twin brother.{{cite web |url=https://themercury.com/k_state_sports/multiple-wildcats-qualify-for-ncaa-indoor-championships/article_bb42754c-5251-5fab-919a-9e21637aea9e.html |website=The Mercury |accessdate=13 April 2024 |title=Multiple Wildcats qualify for NCAA indoor championships |date=1 March 2024}} He ran a time of 46.37 seconds in the individual event.{{cite web |url=https://worldathletics.org/competition/calendar-results/results/7156904?eventId=10229554 |website=World Athletics |accessdate=13 April 2024 |title=NCAA Division I Indoor Championships |date=7 March 2024}} They finished third in the relay final to win the bronze medal alongside Tavon Underwood and Kyle Gayle.{{cite web |url=https://worldathletics.org/competition/calendar-results/results/7156904?eventId=204609 |website=World Athletics |accessdate=13 April 2024 |title=Men's 4x400 Metres Relay Short Track |date=7 March 2024}}
He ran for the Netherlands for the first time at the 2024 World Relays Championships in Nassau, Bahamas. {{cite web |url=https://www.volkskrant.nl/sport/waarom-sprinttweeling-omalla-voor-nederland-uitkomt-je-moet-kiezen-voor-wat-je-het-meest-vooruithelpt~b772321c/?referrer=https://www.google.com/ |first=Mark |last=van Driel |date=6 May 2024 |accessdate=12 May 2024 |title=Why sprint twins Omalla competes for the Netherlands: 'You have to choose what helps you most forward'}} He competed in the mixed 4 × 400 metres relay at the 2024 Paris Olympics, winning gold with the Dutch team.{{cite web|url= https://www.watchathletics.com/page/5829/4x400m-mixed-relay-results-paris-olympic-games-2024-athletics |website=Watch Athletics|accessdate=28 December 2024|title=Mixed 4 x 400 Metres Relay - Paris Olympic Games 2024 Athletics|date=3 August 2024}}
He was selected for the 2025 European Athletics Indoor Championships in Apeldoorn where he won the gold medal with the Dutch team in the men's 4 × 400 metres relay.{{cite web|url= https://www.atletiek.nl/artikelen/46-teamnl-atleten-in-actie-tijdens-ek-indoor-atletiek-in-apeldoorn/ |accessdate=25 Feb 2025|website=Atletiek.nl|title= 46 TeamNL atleten in actie tijdens EK Indoor Atletiek in Apeldoorn
|date=February 25, 2025}}{{cite web|website=European Athletics|accessdate=9 March 2025|title= Five gold medals! Super Sunday as Dutch close Apeldoorn 2025 with glorious finale |date=Mar 9, 2025|url= https://www.european-athletics.com/home/news/five-gold-medals-super-sunday-as-dutch-close-apeldoorn-2025-with-glorious-finale |first=Chris|last=Broadbent}} On 22 April 2025, he was named in the Dutch team for the 2025 World Athletics Relays in Guangzhou, China in May 2025.{{cite web|url=https://www.atletiek.nl/artikelen/atletiekunie-maakt-selectie-wk-estafette-bekend/|website=Atletiek.nl|accessdate=22 April 2025|date=22 April 2025|title= Atletiekunie maakt selectie WK estafette bekend}}
He competed at the 2025 World Athletics Relays in China in the Mixed 4 × 100 metres relay in May 2025.{{cite web|url= https://www.watchathletics.com/page/6605/mixed-4x100-metres-relay-world-athletics-relays-championships-2025 | website=Watch Athletics|accessdate=13 May 2025|date=11 May 2025|title=Mixed 4x100 Metres Relay - World Athletics Relays Championships 2025}}
Personal bests
Information from his World Athletics profile unless otherwise noted.
class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|+ Personal best times for individual events |
scope="col"|Event
!scope="col"|Time in {{Abbrlink|s|Seconds}} !scope="col"|Location !scope="col"|Date !scope="col"|Record !scope="col"|Notes |
---|
scope="row"|200 metres
|style="text-align:center"|20.64 |14 July 2024 |La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland | |(Wind: +0.7 m/s) |
scope="row"|300 metres
|style="text-align:center"|32.68 |28 April 2024 |Willemstad, Curaçao | | |
scope="row"|400 metres
|style="text-align:center"|45.18 {{AthAbbr|i}} |23 February 2024 |Lubbock, Texas, United States | | |
scope="row"|400 metres short track
|style="text-align:center"|45.18 {{AthAbbr|i}} |23 February 2024 |Lubbock, Texas, United States |style="text-align:center"|{{AthAbbr|AR|African}} |Omalla was representing Uganda/Africa at the time. |
Competition results
Information from his World Athletics profile unless otherwise noted.
class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|+Achievements in international competitions representing the {{Flagu|Netherlands}} |
scope="col"|Year
!scope="col"|Competition !scope="col"|Location !scope="col"|Position !scope="col"|Event !scope="col"|Time !scope="col"|Notes |
---|
scope="rowgroup" rowspan="2"|2024
!scope="row"|World Athletics Relays |Nassau, Bahamas |12th |3:03.02 |(45.69 split) |
scope="row"|Summer Olympics
|Paris, France |bgcolor=gold|1st |3:07.43 |{{AthAbbr|AR|European}} |
scope="row"|2025
!scope="row"|European Athletics Indoor Championships |Apeldoorn, Netherlands |bgcolor=gold|1st |3:04.95 |(46.46 split) |
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{Commons category|Eugene Omalla}}
- {{World Athletics|netherlands/eugene-omalla-14833321}}
- {{Olympics.com|eugene-omalla}}
- [https://olympics.com/en/paris-2024/athlete/eugene-omalla_1972234 Eugene Omalla] at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics
- {{TeamNL|eugene-omalla}}
- [https://www.atletiek.nl/atleten/eugene-omalla/ Eugene Omalla] at Atletiek.nl {{in lang|nl}}
{{Olympic champions 4 × 400 metres mixed}}
{{Footer European Indoor Champions 4 × 400 metres relay Men}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Omalla, Eugene}}
Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2024 Summer Olympics
Category:Dutch expatriate sportspeople in the United States
Category:Dutch people of Ugandan descent
Category:Kansas State Wildcats men's track and field athletes
Category:Knights of the Order of Orange-Nassau
Category:Olympic athletes for the Netherlands
Category:Sportspeople from Zoetermeer
Category:Ugandan expatriate sportspeople in the Netherlands
Category:Ugandan expatriate sportspeople in the United States
Category:Ugandan male sprinters
Category:Ugandan people of Dutch descent
Category:Olympic gold medalists for the Netherlands
Category:Olympic gold medalists in athletics (track and field)
Category:Medalists at the 2024 Summer Olympics