Omanyala extends early season form in Xiamen Diamond League

Commonwealth Games 100m champion Ferdinand Omanyala extended his impressive start to the 2025 season with a second-place finish at the Saturday Xiamen Diamond League meeting in China.

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Omanyala clocked 10.13 seconds in the men’s 100m final, showing solid early-season form. South Africa’s Akani Simbine took the victory, crossing the line in a season-best 9.99 seconds.

Great Britain's Jeremiah Azu finished third, also posting a season’s best time of 10.17 seconds.

This performance adds to Omanyala's consistent showings on the Diamond League circuit, as he builds momentum ahead of major events later this year.

It was a considerably slower showing for Simbine compared to his season-best 9.90 seconds recorded at the Botswana Golden Grand Prix on April 12 — a time that still stands as the fastest in the world this year.

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Nonetheless, Simbine continues to impress early in the season, posting back-to-back sub-10 second performances within a fortnight.

So far, only his fellow South African Bayanda Walaza has also broken the 10-second barrier in 2025.

Meanwhile, Kenya’s Omanyala once again had to settle for second behind Simbine, repeating the pattern from their previous showdown.

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However, Omanyala’s time was slower than the 10.00 seconds he clocked in Botswana. American Christian Coleman, who had run 10.06 at the Tom Jones Memorial last weekend, also struggled to find his top gear.

It was a particularly tough outing for Olympic 200m champion Letsile Tebogo. Competing in just his second 100m race of the season, Tebogo faded to seventh place.

On the bright side, his 10.20-second finish marked a notable improvement from the 10.55 seconds he posted at the Patch Invitational on April 16.

Men’s 100m Final Results – Xiamen Diamond League

1. Akani Simbine (RSA) — 9.99 (+0.5)

2. Ferdinand Omanyala (KEN) — 10.13

3. Jeremiah Azu (GBR) — 10.17 (Season Best)

4. Christian Coleman (USA) — 10.18

5. Lachlan Kennedy (AUS) — 10.18

6. Emmanuel Eseme(CMR) — 10.19 (Season Best)

7. Letsile Tebogo (BOT) — 10.20 (Season Best)

8. Xie Zhenye (CHN) — 10.23 (Season Best)

9. Rohan Watson (JAM) — 10.31 (Season Best)

10. Abdul Hakim Sani Brown (JPN) — 10.42