Africa’s fastest 100m sprinter Ferdinand Omanyala lit up the Nyayo National Stadium with a commanding victory in the 100m at the Absa Kip Keino Classic Continental Tour on Friday.
Omanyala, the Commonwealth Games champion, gave Kenyans a night to remember as he dazzled his home fans with a good show that sent the crowd into sonorous cheers.
Being the marquee event, the men’s 100m sprint started with huge expectations among fans and piled pressure on the competitors.
But Omanyala started with a slower pace and stepped up the pace as he headed home for his spectacular 9.96 seconds– another season best mark.
His win follows last weekend’s triumph at the Addis Ababa Grand Prix last weekend where dashed to 9.98 seconds, which was a season best.
He emerged as the only sub-10 seconds sprinter in the race, which was the last event in the 2026 show.
“Definitely I wanted a sub-10 seconds. I am looking for a world lead soon. I’m excited and relieved about that race because we have lost it twice in a row. It was just important to get it back,” Omanyala said. He added: “Today was spectacular. I felt like a night runner but it was really good.”
Omanyala was the only podium finisher from last year where he placed third.
