Omanyala’s sub-10 surge continues with blistering 9.95seconds in Gaborone

Africa’s fastest man Ferdinand Omanyala underlined his return to peak form with a scintillating 9.95-second run at the Botswana Golden Grand Prix on Sunday, April 26 in Gaborone.

In a fiercely contested men’s 100m final, Canada’s Jerome Blake stormed to victory in 9.93 seconds, while his compatriot Andre De Grasse and Omanyala both clocked 9.95 in a razor-tight finish. Although the race initially appeared to produce a shared second-place finish, official listings placed Omanyala third by the slimmest of margins.

Despite the marginal placing, the performance marked Omanyala’s third consecutive sub 10 second run in just seven days, capping a remarkable resurgence for the African record holder. The Kenyan speedster had opened his streak with a 9.98-second victory at the Addis Ababa Grand Prix on April 18, before electrifying home fans with a 9.96 second win at the Kip Keino Classic in Nairobi on April 24.

This sequence of performances signals a strong comeback for Omanyala after a difficult 2025 campaign that was hampered by injuries and inconsistency, during which he failed to dip below the coveted 10 second barrier.

Attention now shifts to the World Athletics Relays set for May 2–3, also in Gaborone, where Omanyala is expected to anchor Team Kenya’s 4x100m relay squad. The event will serve as a crucial stepping stone toward qualification for the season-ending Ultimate Championship.

With upcoming stops on the Continental Tour Gold circuit and major championships including the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Omanyala’s explosive return could not have come at a better time as he rebuilds momentum against the world’s elite sprinters.