Ferdinand Omanyala delivered a strong response on Saturday in Xiamen, China, storming to victory in the men’s 100m at the 2026 Diamond League meet after narrowly missing out to his South African rival last weekend in Shanghai.
The Kenyan sprinter stopped the clock at 9.94 seconds, a season best and his fifth straight race under 10 seconds this year, as he edged a competitive field that included Gift Leotlela and American star Trayvon Bromell at the Egret Stadium.
The win carried extra weight for Omanyala, coming just a week after he finished second in a close finish at the Shanghai Diamond League season opener. In that race, he clocked 9.98 seconds but was edged out by just 0.01 seconds by Gift Leotlela, a result that set up a tense rematch in Xiamen.
This time, Omanyala held his form in the final stretch and crossed the line first, with Leotlela finishing second in 10.00 seconds while Bromell took third in 10.03 seconds. The Kenyan’s sharp start and strong finish proved decisive as he controlled the race in the closing metres to secure victory.
Omanyala’s 2026 season has shown steady progress since he opened his campaign on April 18 at the Addis Ababa Grand Prix in Ethiopia, where he ran 9.98 seconds, his first sub-10 performance of the year. He later returned home and won the Kip Keino Classic in Nairobi, producing a season-best 9.96 seconds in a race where Leotlela was disqualified for a false start.
He has maintained that his current form is part of a wider plan targeting major global competitions, including the 2027 World Athletics Championships in Beijing and the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, United States.
The Xiamen Diamond League meet featured 14 Diamond Discipline events, offering athletes early chances to collect points toward qualification for the Diamond League Finals scheduled for Brussels later in the season.
Omanyala’s victory adds momentum to his campaign as the sprint rivalry with Leotlela continues to shape the early part of the international athletics season.