- Ferdinand Omanyala finished second with a time of 10.05 seconds at the 2025 Rabat Diamond League, behind South Africa’s Akani Simbine, who clocked 9.95 seconds.
- After three rounds of the 2025 Diamond League, Africa’s fastest man, Ferdinand Omanyala, currently sits in seventh place overall with seven points.
- Omanyala now shifts his focus to the upcoming Kip Keino Classic, scheduled for Saturday, 31 May, at the Ulinzi Sports Complex.
Kenyan sprinter Ferdinand Omanyala clinched second place in the 100m at the 2025 Rabat Diamond League, finishing behind South Africa’s Akani Simbine.
Simbine clocked an impressive 9.95 seconds, while Omanyala crossed the line in 10.05 seconds on Sunday evening at the Complexe Sportif Prince Moulay Abdellah.
Fred Kerley of the United States secured third place with a time of 10.07 seconds, as Simbine extended his unbeaten streak in the 2025 season.
Omanyala’s remarkable performance comes just a week after he set a new record in the 150m at the 2025 Adidas Atlanta City Games, stopping the clock at a blistering 14.70 seconds.
After three rounds of the 2025 Diamond League, Africa’s fastest man, Omanyala, currently holds seventh place overall with seven points.
He earned a runner-up finish in Xiamen with a best time of 10.13 seconds and placed ninth in Shanghai, clocking 10.25.
Omanyala now turns his attention to the upcoming Kip Keino Classic, set for Saturday, 31 May, at the Ulinzi Sports Complex.
He is expected to headline the prestigious World Continental Tour Gold event as he aims to better his seasonal best of 10.00 seconds recorded at the FNB Botswana Golden Grand Prix.
He will compete in the men’s 100m, facing formidable opponents including World Indoor 60m silver medalist Kennedy Lachlan (Australia), Olympic 4x100m relay gold medalist Jerome Blake (Canada), and Olympic 4x100m relay silver medalist Bayanda Walaza (South Africa), among other elite sprinters.
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Meanwhile, Akani Simbine continues to dominate the 100m discipline, having claimed victory in all three Diamond League events to date.
He leads the overall standings with an impressive 16 points.
His standout performance of the season came at the Botswana Grand Prix in Gaborone, where he stormed to a world-leading 9.90 seconds (-1.4m/s), outpacing Omanyala in a thrilling showdown.
Reacting to his emphatic win, Simbine expressed his joy:
I feel great, I feel confident, I am happy that I could take the win today and that I can finish this month strong and healthy. Another sub-10 in the bag, so slowly we go down in time which is really great. I am looking forward to the rest of the season and going back to training in Italy to get ready for the next Diamond League.
It’s amazing to have this kind of competition in Africa. I wish we had so much more of them. Look at the stands, people love watching sports. It’s really great to run on this continent, showcasing African talent and show the world that we can host great meets,” he stated after the race.
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Result from men’s 100m at 2025 Rabat Diamond League
- Akani Simbine (RSA) 9.95
- Ferdinand Omanyala (KEN) 10.05
- Fred Kerley (USA) 10.07
- Emmanuel Eseme (CMR) 10.10
- Brandon Hicklin (USA) 10.11
- Shaun Maswanganyi (RSA) 10.19
- Jeff Erius (FRA) 10.25
- Kyree King (USA) 10.28
- Letsile Tebogo (BOT) 10.43