Omanyala Confident After 9.98 in Shanghai, Prepares for Xiamen

Former African 100m champion and reigning continental record holder Ferdinand Omanyala is aiming to dip inside 10 seconds for the second consecutive Diamond League race after clocking 9.98 seconds to finish runner-up at the season opener in Shanghai/Kepaio last Saturday.

The Kenyan sprinter, who holds Africa’s 100m record at 9.77 seconds, placed second behind South Africa’s Gift Leotlela (9.97) and expressed satisfaction with his performance.

‘I ran under 10 and I was satisfied, the result is good and we move on from there. Before the race, I had expectation to run under 10 and now I achieve that, I hope to keep the performance consistent in the next race in Xiamen,’ Omanyala told reporters after the race.

Omanyala revealed that adjustments to his training programme, including a camp in South Africa instead of Kenya, contributed to his strong start to the season.

‘We did more loading and it really worked well for us. This is a good start to the season. I will keep going and prepare for next year’s World Championships in Beijing,’ he added.

The Kenyan will face a familiar field in Xiamen, including Leotlela, fellow South African Akani Simbine, American Kenneth Bednarek, third in Shanghai, Christian Coleman, and Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo.