Familiar foe: Omanyala renews rivalry with Simbine in South Africa

Africa’s fastest man, Kenya’s Ferdinand Omanyala, and Africa 100 metres champion, Akani Simbine, will clash over the distance at the ASA Athletics Grand Prix 4 next Wednesday at Germiston Stadium in Johannesburg.

It will be the second meeting between Omanyala and Simbine, the latter who is also the Commonwealth Games 100m champion. They first met on September 3 last year at the Brussels leg of the Diamond League where Omanyala finished fourth in 10:02 seconds with Simbine coming in sixth in 10.18.

Olympic 200m silver medallist Fred Kerley from the United States won the race in 9.94 seconds.

It’s Omanyala, who shattered Simbine’s Africa 100m record when he finished second in 9.77 seconds during the Absa Kip Keino Classic last year, a race won by American Trayvon Bromell in 9.76.

Simbine’s previous Africa record stood at 9.84 seconds. Simbine won the Commonwealth Games title in Gold Coast, Australia, in 2018 after bagging the Africa title in Asaba, Nigeria, the same year.

Omanyala will go into the race inspired by his victories in 100m and 200m races at ASA Athletics Grand Prix 3 at McArthur Stadium in Potchefstroom, North West Province, on Wednesday.

“Simbine will be a good challenge but my mind won’t be on him. I am going into the race chasing sub-10 seconds. The chilly weather didn’t allow me at Potchefstroom but I believe I can do it in Germiston,” said the 26-year-old Omanyala.

Omanyala clocked 10.11 seconds to claim victory in men’s 100m, beating the 2021 World Relays 4x100m gold medallist Clarence Munyai of South Africa to second place in 10.20.

The 2018 Commonwealth Games 4x100m silver medallist Emile Erasmus timed 10.29 for third place.

It was Omanyala’s fourth race in 100m this year, having at one time dashed a world lead time of 10.00 when winning the Third Athletics Kenya Weekend Meeting on March 5 at the Nyayo National Stadium.