- Omanyala will be aiming to make it four sub ten performances in 2026.
- The lineup in Xiamen includes Gift Leotlela who won the Shanghai Diamond league.
- The Xiamen race is his final race in Asia in 2026.
Africa’s fastest man Ferdinand Omanyala will continue his explosive season of restoration at the Xiamen Diamond League on Saturday, May 23, setting the stage for a thrilling rematch just one week after his spectacular display in Shanghai.
After narrowly missing out on victory by a microscopic 0.01 seconds to South Africa’s Gift Leotlela in a dramatic photo finish on May 16, the Kenyan sprint king is ready to go head-to-head with the world’s elite once again at the Egret Stadium.
The entry list for Xiamen promises a blockbuster lineup, with Omanyala set to face a familiar, world-class field that includes American powerhouses Christian Coleman, Trayvon Bromell, and Kenneth Bednarek, alongside Botswana’s Olympic 200m champion Letsile Tebogo and South African veteran Akani Simbine.
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Omanyala set for epic rematch at Xiamen Diamond League
Omanyala enters the blocks holding immense momentum in 2026.
Prior to his brilliant 9.98s runner-up finish out of lane seven in Shanghai, he had already delivered a remarkable hat-trick of early-season victories: a 9.98s win in Addis Ababa on April 18, a sensational 9.96s performance under the Nyayo floodlights at the Kip Keino Classic on April 24, and a blistering season-best of 9.95s at the Botswana Golden Grand Prix on April 26.
The financial stakes for Saturday’s 1554 hrs EAT showdown remain sky-high, driven by the circuit’s record-breaking Sh1.2 billion ($9.4 million) total prize pool.
Under the Diamond+ format, individual meeting winners take home up to $20,000, presenting Omanyala with a lucrative opportunity to cash in on his hot form and further cement his standing among the world’s elite sprinters.
The Xiamen meet marks the final Asian stop for Omanyala before he shifts his focus to a highly anticipated and rigorous European tour.
His packed summer itinerary includes a highly publicised stop in Trieste, Italy, on May 30, the prestigious Rome Diamond Gala on June 4, and concludes this international leg at the Dromia Sprint and Relays in Greece on June 13.
With his technical training adjustments paying off and his confidence soaring, all eyes will be on whether Kenya’s former rugby player can turn the tables on Leotlela and company to claim his first Diamond League victory of the year.
Men’s 100m Entries , Xiamen Diamond League
Kenneth Bednarek,Trayvon Bromell, Christian Coleman, Deng Xinrui, Lachlan Kennedy, Gift Leotlela,Ferdinand Omanyala,Akani Simbine, Letsile Tebogo,Wang Shengjie