Africa’s fastest man, Ferdinand Omanyala, bounced back with a dominant performance to secure his first global win of the season at the Athletics South Africa (ASA) Grand Prix II in Johannesburg on Wednesday.
The 29-year-old African record holder crossed the finish line in 10.08 seconds, edging out South Africa’s Tsebo Matsoso and Bradley Nkoana to claim victory.
Matsoso finished second in 10.12 seconds, while Nkoana, a world U-20 medalist, rounded off the podium in third with a time of 10.16 seconds.
South Africa’s Sinesipho Dambile clocked 10.30 seconds to take fourth place, while Omanyala’s Kenyan teammate, Mark Odhiambo, also posted a time of 10.30 seconds to finish fifth.
Omanyala, the reigning Commonwealth Games champion, had a challenging start to the season, finishing third in 10.22 seconds at the ASA Grand Prix I in Pretoria last Wednesday.
He trailed behind 18-year-old Karabo Letebele and fellow South African Emile Erasmus.
The Johannesburg race marked his final competition in South Africa before heading back to Kenya for preparations for the Botswana Golden Grand Prix, which takes place on April 12 in Gaborone.
This will be Omanyala’s first return to Botswana since 2023, when he defeated local athlete and 2024 Paris Olympics 200m champion Letsile Tebogo, securing victory with a time of 9.78 seconds.
