Commonwealth Games: Babu to join Omanyala in semis as Otieno crashes out

Kenyan sprinter Meshack Babu kept the country’s hopes alive in the men’s 100m at the 2026 Commonwealth Games after qualifying for the semifinals, while compatriot Mark Otieno saw his campaign come to an end during the heats held on Monday, 27 July, in Glasgow.

Babu booked his place in Tuesday’s semifinals after finishing second in the opening heat in a time of 10.21 seconds.

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Nigeria’s Favour Ashe won the race in 10.10, with both athletes advancing to the next round.

Otieno, meanwhile, failed to progress after finishing fourth in the 10th and final heat.

The Kenyan clocked 10.38 as Lesotho’s Mojela Koneshe claimed victory in 10.07 to secure qualification.

Elsewhere, Ghana’s Abdul-Rasheed Saminu produced one of the standout performances of the morning by winning the second heat in 10.01, while Wales’ Jeremiah Azu cruised to victory in the third heat in 10.10.

Jamaica’s Rohan Watson then won the fourth heat before Ghana’s Benjamin Azamati recorded the fastest time of the opening round, storming to victory in heat five in exactly 10.00 seconds.

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Antigua and Barbuda’s Cejhae Greene continued the impressive displays by taking heat six in 10.12, while South Africa’s Bradley Nkoana claimed heat seven in 10.16.

Fellow South African Cheswill Johnson won the eighth heat in 10.21, before Trinidad and Tobago’s Omari Lewis crossed first in heat nine in 10.18.

Apart from the heat winners, several athletes also advanced after finishing in the automatic qualifying positions, including Canada’s Duan Asemota, England’s Elliot Jones, Australia’s Edward Nketia and Rohan Browning, Nigeria’s Adekalu Nicholas Fakorede, Barbados’ Kuron Griffith, and Kenya’s Babu.

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Defending Commonwealth Games champion Ferdinand Omanyala did not feature in the heats after receiving a bye to the semifinals, where he will join Babu in Kenya’s quest for a place in the final.

The men’s 100m semifinals are scheduled for Tuesday, 28 July.