Omanyala confirmed for first Diamond League stop of the season

Africa's fastest man in 100m, Ferdinand Omanyala, has his work cut out as he lines up for his first Diamond League (DL) race of the year in Shanghai on Saturday, 16 May, against a world-class field.

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Omanyala, a late inclusion to the field, following the withdrawal of Kishane Thompson, is hoping to carry his current form to the Chinese event.

Having dipped under 10 seconds in his last three races, the reigning Commonwealth Games champion is among the quickest on the field this year, but will face his toughest field yet, a challenge likely to put his current form to the real test.

The Kenyan record holder began his season indoors, running a 6.66-second season best while finishing fourth at the Russian Winter event in February before moving outdoors.

His first race outdoors was at the Cape Miller Continental Tour in Stellenbosch, where he eased to victory in 10.19 seconds on Friday, 10 April.

A week later, Omanyala lined up for the Addis Ababa Grand Prix, storming to his first sub-10 of the season with a 9.98-second performance, finishing ahead of Christopher Borzor, who clocked 10.16 and Chituru Ali's 10.26.

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His next race was on home soil at the Kip Keino Classic, where he produced another dominant display to win in 9.96 seconds, beating South Africa's Rivaldo Roberts (10.12) and Canadian Aaron Brown (10.15).

Omanyala's next competition was not a victory, but he maintained his sub-10 form to place third at the Botswana Golden Grand Prix, where he finished third in 9.95 seconds. The Canadian duo of Jerome Blake (9.93) and Andre de Grasse (9.95) finished first and second.

In Keqiao, the Kenyan sprint star goes up against some of the biggest names in global sprinting, including Olympic 200m champion Letsile Tebogo of Botswana, South Africa’s Akani Simbine and the US trio of Christian Coleman, Kenny Bednarek and Trayvon Bromell.

The in-form Lachlan Kennedy, who clocked 9.96 to win the Australian 100m title last month, is also in the field, while Chinese fans will be cheering for their national 200m record holder Xie Zhenye.