Fastest Men in the World in 2023: Ferdinand Omanyala 2nd Ahead of Kerley, Noah Lyles

• Ferdinand Omanyala will be among the 100 metres World title hopefuls at the Budapest championships
• The Commonwealth champion is the second fastest man in the world this year ahead of Fred Kerley
• Sports Brief takes a look at the fastest men this year as the World Athletics Championships draws closer

The build-up to the 2023 World Athletics Championships men's 100 metres has been slow, with no clear favourite ahead of the August 19 and 20 showdown.

Unlike in previous championships, where all eyes would be on Usain Bolt, this year's championships could go either way, with at least six heavyweights going for the gold medal.

Fred Kerley will touch down in Budapest as the defending champion after a dominant race at the 2022 Championships in Oregon.

The other interesting spectacle to watch out for is the increased likelihood that an African sprinter could possibly finish in the podium places for the first time in the competition's history. Kenya's Ferdinand Omanyala, South Africa's Akani Simbine and Botswana's Letsile Tebogo are all in the running.

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Athletics

Fastest 100m times this season

200 m champion Noah Lyles will also step down to the shorter version of sprints and attempt to go for the double.

Sports Brief takes a look at the fastest times this season as per the official World Athletics website. Just who will triumph in the Sunday final?

4. Courtney Lindsey (America), Pjai Austin (America), Ackeem Blake (Jamaica), Issamade Asinga(Suriname)- 9.89 seconds

18-year-old Issam Asinga has brought the world to a standstill this year with breathtaking performances. He beat Lyles before setting a new world U-20 record of 9.89 seconds on July 29. His achievements have, however, been cast in doubt after the Athletics Integrity Unit suspended him for doping violations.

Pjai Austin clocked 9.89 seconds at the Mike A. Myers Stadium in Texas on June 7 before his compatriot Courtney Lindsey used the same time two days later at the same stadium. However, the two did not make it to Team USA for 100m, with Cravont Charleston and 2019 champion Christian Coleman joining Kerley, as reported by Reuters.

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Ackeem Blake's time came on May 27 at the Drake Stadium in Los Angeles.

3. Fred Kerley (America) - 9.88 seconds

The reigning World Champion has been on impeccable form this year, but he is yet to hit fast times if he intends to break or get closer to Usain Bolt's insane records.

He used 9.88 seconds at the Seiko Grand Prix in Yokohama, Japan, on May 21.

2. Ferdinand Omanyala(Kenya) - 9.84 seconds

Omanyala's best races and times of his career have often come in front of his own home crowd in Kenya. He recently won his first Diamond League race at the Monaco meet, which came a few months after he had set his fastest time this year at the Kip Keino Classic in Nairobi, Kenya.

1. Zharnel Hughes(Great Britain) -9.83 seconds

At the top is the surprise package, Great Britain's Zharnel Hughes dropped a personal best of 9.83 seconds at the Icahn Stadium in New York on June 24. He also broke a long-standing national record of 9.87 seconds.

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Athletics

Athletics neutrals will be hoping that the stellar field of stars in Budapest would spur fast times. Can Africa finally medal in the 100m? Or will America continue with their dominance?

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 brought the African record down to 9.77 seconds, won the African title, and then 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.