ATHLETICS
Frank Rotich 18 hrs ago

Omanyala clocks 9.98s for victory in Addis Ababa Grand Prix

Ferdinand omanyala during a training session. [Courtesy Ferdinand Omanyala]

Africa’s fastest man Ferdinand Omanyala is back under the 10-second barrier after powering to victory at the Addis Ababa Grand Prix on Saturday, clocking an impressive 9.98 seconds in the men’s 100m final.

Omanyala produced a strong and confident run to win the race from start to finish, showing clear improvement in form early in the 2026 season. The Kenyan sprint star had earlier posted 10.11 seconds in the semi-final before stepping up in the final to secure top honours.

This win is a major milestone for Omanyala as it ends a 20-month wait to run below 10 seconds. His last sub-10 performance came in August 2024 at the Silesia Diamond League, where he ran 9.88 seconds.

The result also confirms his positive start to the season. Just last week, he opened his campaign with a 10.19-second victory at the Cape Milers Club Meet, and now he has gone even faster in only his second race of the year.

The Addis Ababa Grand Prix marked a historic moment for athletics as Ethiopia hosted a World Athletics Continental Tour one-day meeting for the first time, attracting strong competition and a large crowd.

Kenya also had other notable performances at the event. Mercy Chebet impressed in the women’s 400m, finishing second and setting a personal best time. In the men’s 5,000m, Edwin Elkana finished sixth in a time of 14:03.03.

Omanyala will now shift focus to his next major race, the Kip Keino Classic, scheduled for 24 April at Nyayo National Stadium, where he will aim to continue his strong early-season form.