Kenya’s Ferdinand Omanyala, the Commonwealth Games 100m champion, emerged victorious in the first leg of the ASA Grand Prix held at Tuks Stadium in South Africa. Omanyala clocked a time of 10.12 seconds, showcasing his exceptional speed with a late surge to secure the win.
Benjamin Richardson, the former world junior champion, finished second with a time of 10.33, while Rivaldo Roberts settled for third with 10.34. Kenya’s Samuel Imeta came in fourth with a time of 10.39.
Although Omanyala missed out on breaking the sub-10 second barrier, he expressed contentment with his performance at the world continental tour challenger event. “We expected fast times, but a win is always a win, and in everything we celebrate and thank God.
We really wanted to go sub-10, but you know every race counts, so onto the next. I was also a bit cold today,” Omanyala said.
Omanyala, who is also the African champion, will remain in South Africa in preparation for the second leg of the event scheduled for next week in Germiston. “We hope the next race will be faster, and the target is still the same – to run under 10 seconds,” Omanyala added.
In another impressive performance by Kenyan athletes, Wiseman Were clinched the top spot in the men’s 400m hurdles with a time of 49.23 seconds.
