S. GitahiMoraa, Wanyonyi shine as Omanyala is pipped in exciting Rabat Diamond League
Reading Time: 2min | Sun. 28.05.23. | 22:51
Fred Kerley and Akani Simbine got their revenge as they finished ahead of Omanyala.
Commonwealth 100m champion Ferdinand Omanyala could not live up to his promise of winning every race this year as he finished third in a rich 100m field at the Rabat Diamond League series held at the Mohammed V Stadium in Morocco on Sunday night.
Making his second career appearance in the Diamond League, Omanyala was unable to sustain his strong start off the blocks, watching World Champion Fred Kerley and South Africa’s Akani Simbine breeze past him; ultimately finishing third in a time of 10.05 seconds.
9.94s!!🔥🔥
— Oluwadare (@Track_Gazette) May 28, 2023
Fred Kerley 🇺🇲 reigns supreme in Rabat, storming to a Meet Record of 9.94s (0.1) to win the men's 100m!
2. Akani Simbine 🇿🇦 9.99s
3. Ferdinand Omanyala 🇰🇪 10.05
4. Letsile Tebogo 🇧🇼 10.09s (SB) pic.twitter.com/1PA3zbOL1Q
Fred Kerley, with the win, set a meeting record time of 9.94 with Simbine hitting 9.99.
World U20 champion Letsile Tebogo and American Trayvon Bromell came in fourth and fifth position respectively.
Omanyala, who set a world leading time of 9.84s in his last race in Nairobi, is now set to feature in the third Diamond leg in Florence, Italy on 2 June.
Elsewhere in the women's 800m, Kenyan Mary Moraa offered a bright spark as she raced to a season best victory in a time of 1:58.72.
Mary Moraa Marvels!
— Wanda Diamond League (@Diamond_League) May 28, 2023
Moraa runs sub-2 minutes to take a Seasons Best and the win in Rabat! She stops the clock in 1:58.72#DiamondLeague #RabatDL🇲🇦
📷 @matthewquine pic.twitter.com/LtZEqlLjby
The Commonwealth Games champ led from start to finish, tucking right behind the pacemaker to then hold off Catriona Bissett who came in second ahead of third placed Hurta-Klecker.
Earlier in the night, Kenyan sensation Emmanuel Wanyonyi secured a second consecutive victory in the 800m after taking the lead and proving hard to get, outsizing compatriot Wycliffe Kinyamal to a 1:44.36 win.
Wanyonyi in Nairobi trumped Kinyamal (1:44.73) and Sunday saw the Olympic champion Emmanuel Korir finish eighth, clocking 1:48.42.
In the last event of the night, home favorite Soufiane El-Bakkali produced a special performance as he outpaced the entire field in the 3000m Steeplechase - his first this season- winning in a meeting record time of 7:56.68 and ahead of Kenyan Abraham Kibiwot who placed third in a time of 8:05.51.
2016 Olympic champion Conseslus Kipruto had a tough outing, and did not finish the race.
The 1500m men's event had Kenyan Abel Kipsang (3:34.46) finish fifth behind a dominant performance by Norwegian Jakob Ingebrightsen.
