Omanyala posts sub-10 triumph over Jamaica's rising sprint star in Zagreb

ATHLETICS Omanyala posts sub-10 triumph over Jamaica's rising sprint star in Zagreb

Festus Chuma 21:00 - 10.09.2023

Omanyala won the men's 100m at Boris Hanzekovic Memorial in Zagreb, beating Oblique Seville and Lamont Marcell Jacobs.

Africa's fastest man Ferdinand Omanyala clocked an impressive 9.94s to clinch victory in the men's 100m at the esteemed Boris Hanzekovic Memorial- World Athletics Continental Tour Gold Meeting  in Zagreb, Croatia.

The race, highly anticipated because of the formidable competitors, saw Omanyala outpace the talented Oblique Seville, who finished in 10.07s to settle for second place.

Not far behind Seville, Lamont Marcell Jacobs, another big name in sprinting, secured the third place with a time of 10.08s. 

Omanyala's victory comes off the back of two consecutive second-place finishes in the World Athletics Continental Silver Tour held in Switzerland and Italy. 

On both occasions, it was Seville who managed to clinch the gold, with Omnyala clocking times of 10.04 seconds and 10.15 seconds, respectively. 

In a rather unexpected outcome in Budapest, Omanyala had finished seventh, clocking in at 10.07 seconds. 

But the star sprinter has shown his resilience, bouncing back in Zagreb and now has his eyes set on the Diamond League final in Eugene, USA.

 With momentum on his side, the Commonwealth Games champion hopes to cap off his phenomenal season with another stellar performance in Oregon.

Further down the order in Zagreb, Brandon Carnes of the United States managed a fourth-place finish with a time of 10.27s, followed closely by Japan's Abdul Hakim Sani Brown, who crossed the line in 10.29s.

Elsewhere in the meet, Puerto Rico's Olympic gold medallist, Jasmine Camacho-Quinn, showcased her world-class talent in the 100m hurdles, setting a new meeting record with a blazing 12.48s. 

Camacho-Quinn's dominance in the event continues to solidify her reputation as one of the best in the discipline.

The British contingent had reasons to smile, as their athletes delivered in the final Continental Tour Gold athletics meet of the season. 

Daniel Rowden stole the show in the men's 800m with a phenomenal late sprint, clocking in at 1:44.96. 

Laviai Nielsen was not far behind in terms of achievements, narrowly missing her personal best but still clinching the women's 400m with a time of 50.93s.

 She finished ahead of Jamaica's Candice McLeod, while Sharlene Mawdsley of Ireland rounded off the top three with a personal best of 51.09s.