In a stunning performance, Commonwealth 100m champion Ferdinand Omanyala won the Athletics South Africa Grand Prix 1 in Pretoria with a time of 10.12 seconds.
Omanyala left his competitors in the dust, as he coasted comfortably to the finish line. The rest of the field could only watch in desperation as they tried to catch up to the lightning-fast sprinter.
The African champion blazed through the finish line in an impressive time of 10.12 seconds, leaving South Africa’s Benjamin Richardson in his wake.
Richardson crossed the line in second place with a time of 10.33 seconds, unable to match the unstoppable Omanyala.
Rivaldo Roberts secured the third spot on the podium, clocking in at 10.34 seconds, despite putting up a valiant effort.
Samwel Imeta, a runner from the Kenya Defence Forces, placed fourth in the race with a time of 10.39 seconds.
Imeta had been aiming to hit the qualification time for the 2023 World Athletics Championship, but despite his best efforts, he was unable to match the blistering pace set by the top three runners.
Omanyala, who had been the pre-race favorite, expressed satisfaction with his performance despite expecting to run a faster time.
“I expected to ran faster time but a win is a win. I take this one and focus on the next one,” he told the organizers shortly after the race.
He plans to improve his times in upcoming races and hopes to run sub-10 seconds soon.
“It was a little bit colder. Hopefully, the next race will be faster for I will be targeting sub ten seconds,” he said.
The victory marks another impressive milestone for Omanyala, who has emerged as a rising star in the world of athletics.
With this latest win, Omanyala continues to establish himself as a force to be reckoned with on the track.
