Ferdinand Omanyala Vows to Bounce Back After Rabat Diamond League Defeat

• Africa's fastest man, Ferdinand Omanyala is optimistic after coming third in the 100m race in the Rabat Diamond League meet
• Omanyala was beaten by World Champion, Fred Kerley and South African sprinter, Akani Simbine
• The Kenyan is looking to redeem himself in the next Diamond League later this week in Italy

Kenya's fastest man, Ferdinand Omanyala has vowed to come back stronger after losing to World Champion, American Fred Kerley, in the Rabat Diamond League 100m showdown.

Omanyakla finished third in 10.05 seconds. Kerley set a new meet record of 9.94 seconds to come first. Former Africa 100m champion and record holder, Akani Simbine finished second in 9.99 seconds.

The Rabat Diamond League was set to be a showdown between Kerley and 2020 Tokyo Olympics gold medalist, Marcell Jacobs. However, the Italian pulled out of the race. The two sprinters were engaged in some trash-talking leading up to the race, per Prefontaine Classic.

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For Omanyala, it was his first defeat of the season, but he has a chance to bounce back in the upcoming Diamond League meet in Florence, Italy, on Friday, June 2, 2023.

Omanyala looks to bounce back

Ahead of the race, Omanyala boldly predicted that he will not lose another race this year, per Capital Sports. The Rabat showpiece was his second-ever Diamond League event. He made his debut in the Brussels Diamond League in 2021, where he timed 10.02 to finish fourth.

After Sunday's defeat, the fastest man in Africa was undeterred.

"Confidence looks like arrogance to people who don't believe in themselves. We shall rise again," he wrote on Instagram.

He recently revealed that his goal is to win gold at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary.

“The goal remains the gold in Budapest… we are going for the World Championships in Budapest,” he said.

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Omanyala's wife discusses their journey

When Omanyala stormed into the semi-finals of the 100-metre event of the Tokyo Olympics in August 2021, many thought he would be a passing facade.

Nearly 18 months later, the 27-year-old has brought the African record down to 9.77 seconds, won the African title, and claimed the Commonwealth title.

Sports Brief conducted an exclusive interview with Omanyala's wife, Laventa Amutavi, who gave insight into how her husband became Africa's fastest man.