Omanyala lowers season best in South Africa as Imeta completes 1-2 finish for Kenya

Kenya’s sprinting sensation Ferdinand Omanyala lowered his season best from 10.12s to 10.05s as he won the second leg of the Athletics South Africa (ASA) Grand Prix on Wednesday evening in a race that saw compatriot Samuel Imeta complete the 1-2 for Kenya at the Germiston Stadium.

Having set the initial season best last week where he won the first leg, Omanyala showed improved pace as he made for a slow start before crossing the line ahead of Imeta who clocked 10.22s and Eswatini athlete Sibusiso Matsenjwa who posted 10.33s to finish in third place.

Prior to the race, the Commonwealth champion and the African record holder had hopped to dip under ten second but it was not to be after once again getting slowly out of the blocks. His deadly acceleration however saw him power from behind as passed his opponents to cross the line first ahead of Imeta.

Imeta, who had finished fourth in the first leg, ran a near perfect race after making a good start only to be outdone on the homestretch as Sibusiso completed the podium places.

“We are just getting deeper and deeper as we go into the season and we hope to get it (sub 10s) sooner," Omanyala, who now heads to the Botswana Golden Grand Prix next week, said after the race.

Elsewhere, National 400m hurdles champion Wiseman Were came short in the second meet of the Athletics South Africa (ASA) Grand Prix as he was forced to contend with a third-place finish (49.78s) after being pipped in the closing metres of the race.

Having been on pole to grab his second consecutive victory after winning the first leg in 49.23 seconds, the Kenyan athlete lost balance after the penultimate hurdle and ended up being passed on the homestretch by South Africa’s Sokwakhana Zazini who won in 49.54 with Namibia’s Kemorena Tisang making a strong finish to take second in 49.62s.

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