Ferdinand Omanyala finished eighth on Thursday night at the Rome Diamond League held at the Stadio Olimpico, clocking 10.11 seconds.
It was the second time this season that the African 100m record holder failed to break the sub-10 barrier, following his season opener on April 10 at the Cape Milers World Continental Tour Challenger meet in Stellenbosch, South Africa, where he won the men’s 100m in 10.19 seconds.
The Kenyan sprinter described the race as a tough outing, having recorded four sub-10 performances earlier in the season, but said he remains focused on bouncing back in upcoming races. In a post on his official Facebook page, he wrote: “Tough outing in Rome. 10.11. I will take the hit but will always show up. Thanks to Team Ferdy for always making sure I show up ready.”
American sprinter Noah Lyles won the race in a season-best 9.88 seconds, followed by Cameroon’s Emmanuel Eseme in 9.94 seconds. Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo placed third in 9.95, while Jordan Anthony finished fourth in 9.96. Italy’s Marcell Jacobs came fifth in 9.99.
South Africa’s Akani Simbine finished sixth in 10.03, with Jamaica’s Ackeem Blake seventh in 10.06. Omanyala completed the race in eighth place.