Omanyala Wins First 100m After Disappointing World Championships

• Ferdinand Omanyala is back after a disappointing result at the World Athletics Championships
• The Kenyan won the men's 100m at the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meet in Croatia
• The 27-year-old sprinter clocked a time of 9.94 seconds to beat Olympic champ Marcell Jacobs

Africa's fastest man, Ferdinand Omanyala beat Oblique Seville and Olympic champion, Marcell Jacobs in the men's 100m at the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting in Zagreb, Croatia.

The Kenyan clocked 9.94 seconds to register an important win ahead of the Diamond League final. It is his first win since the frustrating 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest last month.

In Zagreb, Jamaica's Seville finished second in 10.07 seconds, while Olympic champion, Jacobs finished third in 10.08 seconds, per World Athletics.

The Kenyan sprinter is coming off two second-place finishes in the World Athletics Continental Silver Tour in Switzerland and Italy, where he clocked 10.04 seconds and 10.15 seconds respectively. He lost both races to Seville.

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Omanyala finished a distant seventh in Budapest, clocking 10.07 seconds but is heading to the Diamond League final in Eugene, USA, hoping to finish the season on a high.

A frustrating season for Omanyala

The Kenyan registered his first Diamond League win in Monaco on July 21, per Olympics, clocking 9.92 seconds and was tipped to do well at the 2023 World Athletics Championships.

However, he massively underwhelmed in Budapest, finishing seventh. The USA's Noah Lyles took gold, Botswana's Letsile Tebogo took gold, and Briton's Zharnel Hughes took bronze.

Omanyala, who has a personal best time of 9.77 seconds, the reported ninth-fastest time in athletics history, was expected to be among the medals but was shaky in the semi-finals.

He now has a chance to finish his season well in the Diamond League final at Hayward Field from September 16 to 17. The diamond trophy and $40,000 await the Kenyan if he wins.

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Omanyala affected by Budapest performance

Sports Brief also reported on the sprinter's coach revealing Omanyala was mentally affected by finishing seventh in Budapest, Hungary.

His coach, Duncan Ayiemba admitted the loss in the World Athletics Championships had taken a toll on the reigning African champion.