Omanyala banishes nearly-man tag to hit fifth sub-10 with victory in Xiamen
Ferdinard Omanyala celebrates after winning the men's 100m with a personal best time of 9.96seconds at the Kip Keino Classic on Friday, Aprile 24 2026 at Nyayo Stadium in Nairobi.
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On form Ferdinand Omanyala hit his fifth sub-10 with a blistering season best time of 9.94 seconds to win the men's 100m race at the
2026 Xiamen Diamond League athletics meeting on Saturday.
The Kenyan sprint king got one up on South Africa's
Gift Leotlela, who was first in Shanghai/Keqiao last weekend, to continue with his
explosive season of restoration following a forgetful 2025.
Leotlela, who defeated Omanyala with a microscopic 0.01 seconds in
a dramatic photo finish, settled for a second spot this time with
10.00, while USA's Trayvon Bromell was third in 10.03.
Omanyala entered the blocks holding immense momentum
in 2026 and prior to his 9.98s second-place finish in Shanghai, he had already
delivered a remarkable hat-trick of early-season victories.
The African record holder hit a 9.98s win in Addis
Ababa on April 18, followed by a sensational 9.96s performance under the Nyayo
floodlights at the Kip Keino Classic on April 24, and a blistering season-best
of 9.95s at the Botswana Golden Grand Prix on April 26.
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