Omanyala set for 150m showdown with Noah Lyles in Atlanta

Africa’s fastest man, Ferdinand Omanyala, is gearing up for a thrilling sprint battle against Olympic 100m champion Noah Lyles in a 150m straight race at the Adidas Atlanta City Games on Saturday, 17 May.

The showdown will mark Omanyala’s third appearance at the Atlanta meet, where he last competed in 2024, finishing second in the 100m in 10.00 seconds behind South Africa’s Akani Simbine, who clocked a world-leading 9.90.

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This contest will also reignite a growing rivalry between Omanyala and Lyles, who last clashed in a 150m race in 2023.

Lyles won that race in 14.46 seconds, with Omanyala settling for third in 14.89.

The Olympic champion holds the third-fastest time ever in the distance at 14.41, a mark he shares with American sprint legend Tyson Gay.

Usain Bolt’s 14.35 from 2009 still stands as the fastest.

Omanyala enters the race looking to bounce back from a disappointing run at the Shanghai Diamond League on Saturday, 3 May, where he placed last in 10.25.

Despite inconsistent form this season, the 2022 Commonwealth Games champion has had notable highlights, including victories in South Africa and Uganda, and a second-place finish behind Simbine at the Botswana Grand Prix with 10.00.

Most recently, he helped Kenya’s 4x100m relay team qualify for the World Championships in Tokyo.

Kenya men's 4×100m relay team seals World Athletics Championships slot

The historic feat saw Kenya book a spot at the World Champs for the first time since 1983.

The quartet of Boniface Mweresa, Omanyala, Steve Onyango and Meshack Babu clocked 38.51 in the second round of the World Relays in Guangzhou, China, after a national record 38.35 in the first round.

Lyles, meanwhile, remains in top shape.

He stormed to indoor 60m victories at the RADD Sports College Invitational (6.62) on January 25 and the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix (6.52) on February 2.

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Outdoors, he anchored the U.S. 4x100m team, alongside Christian Coleman, Pjai Austin and Erriyon Knighton to a swift 37.90 victory at the Tom Jones Memorial on April 19.

The only blemish on Lyles’ record this year came in a 400m, an odd event for the short sprint sensation, where he placed fifth in 45.87 at the Tom Jones meet.

Joining the stacked 150m field are Dominican Olympic silver medalist Alexander Ogando, Bahamas’ Terrence Jones, and Ivory Coast’s Cheickna Traore, promising fans a high-octane sprint spectacle in Atlanta.