TOKYO2025: Omanyala bows out early as Seville stuns sprint giants to claim 100m crown
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Reading Time: 2min | Sun. 14.09.25. | 17:25
The African record holder finished fifth in his semi-final, clocking 10.09 seconds, which was not enough to advance
Kenya’s sprint star Ferdinand Omanyala saw his World Championships dream end on Sunday, September 14, after missing out on the men’s 100m final in Tokyo.
The African record holder finished fifth in his semi-final, clocking 10.09 seconds, which was not enough to advance.
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Omanyala had qualified for the semis the previous day after placing third in 10.12 seconds, but against a stacked field in the second semi-final, he could not find an extra gear.
The race was won by Kenneth Bednarek of the USA, who edged Jamaican Kishane Thompson in a dramatic photo finish.
Both were credited with 9.85 seconds, while Britain’s Zharnel Hughes claimed third in 10.03.
Only the top two and the fastest losers progressed, leaving Omanyala’s Tokyo campaign cut short.
Elsewhere in the semis, Jamaica’s Oblique Seville announced himself as the man to beat, powering to a composed victory in 9.86 seconds.
Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo advanced in 9.94, while South Africa’s Benjamin Richardson Leotlela squeezed into the final with 9.97.
Canada’s Andre De Grasse and Jamaica’s Kadrian Glave, both 10.09, also fell agonizingly short. Ghana’s Benjamin Azamati Saminu (10.08) missed out by hundredths of a second.
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The final, however, belonged to Seville.
Running from lane eight, the Jamaican produced the race of his life, storming past pre-race favourites to win in a personal best 9.77 seconds.
Compatriot Thompson made it a Jamaican 1-2, taking silver in 9.82, while defending champion Noah Lyles salvaged bronze with a season’s best 9.89.
The showdown was not without drama as Rising star Tebogo, one of the favourites, was disqualified for a false start, leaving the crowd in stunned silence.
When the gun finally went, Thompson and Lyles looked set for a straight duel, but Seville’s late burst stunned them both, securing Jamaica’s first world 100m gold since Yohan Blake in 2011.
