On fire Omanyala set for Xiamen Diamond League on Saturday

When the starter’s gun cracks through the evening air at exactly 15:30hrs EAT on Saturday, May 23, inside the Xiamen Egret Stadium, all eyes will be locked on Kenya’s sprint sensation, crowd favourite and cult hero Ferdinand Omanyala.

The African record holder returns to the blocks for the second stop of the 2026 Diamond League season carrying blistering form, unfinished business and another shot at laying down a marker against the world’s fastest men.

Omanyala heads to Xiamen, south-eastern coast of China on the back of four sub-10 second performances already this season, including a lightning 9.98 seconds run that earned him second place at last weekend’s Diamond League opener in Shanghai.

But despite the sizzling form, the Commonwealth Games champion believes cleaner execution, especially out of the blocks, remains the missing ingredient.

“We didn't really get a good start. It was a good start, but it wasn't a perfect start,” Omanyala told Citizen Digital during a virtual interview.

The Kenyan sprint star narrowly missed top honours in Shanghai after South Africa’s Gift Leotlela dipped on the line in 9.97 seconds, with American Kenny Bednarek also clocking 9.98 in a photo-finish contest that underlined the razor-thin margins defining the men’s 100m circuit this season.

“At this point of the season, you really don't want to go too fast, too soon. But we want to maintain the sub-10. So, if we can get another sub-10 this weekend, that would be perfect. The plan is to be consistent and be among the best in the world for the next four months,” he added.

His 2026 campaign has gathered momentum with every outing. The 30-year-old opened outdoors with victory at the Cape Milers Continental Tour in South Africa, winning in 10.19 seconds, before firing an early warning shot at the Addis Ababa Grand Prix on April 18 where he stormed to 9.98 — his first sub-10 clocking in more than two years.

Back on home soil at the Kip Keino Classic inside Nyayo National Stadium, Omanyala thrilled Kenyan fans by lowering his season best to 9.96 seconds.

South Africa’s Rivaldo Roberts settled for second in 10.12 while Canada’s Aaron Brown crossed third in 10.15.

The race also delivered another subplot in the emerging Omanyala-Leotlela rivalry after the South African was disqualified for a false start — adding more fuel to what is quickly becoming one of the season’s most compelling sprint duels.

Only two days later, Omanyala dipped even quicker at the Botswana Golden Grand Prix, clocking a season best 9.95 seconds to finish third behind Canada’s Jerome Blake and Olympic champion Andre De Grasse.

In Xiamen Omanyala is set to line up in a loaded field featuring Olympic champion Letsile Tebogo, South Africa’s Gift Leotlela and Akani Simbine, Americans Christian Coleman, Trayvon Bromell and Kenny Bednarek.

Australia’s Lachlan Kennedy, alongside China’s Deng Xinrui and Wang Shengjie.