Nairobi — African 100 m record holder Ferdinand Omanyala is aiming to post his first official sub‑10‑second performances at the opening two legs of the ASA Grand Prix Series in South Africa. He will compete at the series’ inaugural meeting in Tshwane on Wednesday night and return for the second leg in Germiston on 19 April. “My goal is to run under 10 seconds in both the Grand Prix 1 and 2 events,” Omanyala said. “Training is going well and I’m looking forward to a great season. It already took off with a great start, so I’m expecting very fast times this year.”
Omanyala, who captured the African Championships and Commonwealth Games 100 m titles last year, has shown explosive form early in the season. In February he set a Kenyan indoor 60 m record of 6.54 seconds in France, and he later clocked 9.81 seconds over 100 m in Nairobi, although that performance lacked a wind reading.
“South Africa feels like my second home, and my manager being here reinforces that,” he explained before the ASA Grand Prix opener. “I also love the hospitality I receive here and just want to run fast times for myself and my fans in South Africa.”
In Tshwane, Omanyala will not face South African record holder Akani Simbine, but he must still outclass a strong field that includes rising teenage star Benjamin Richardson. Although the two sprinters will not meet at this early stage of the season, Omanyala praised Simbine’s recent achievements. Simbine won the national 100 m title at the ASA Senior Championships in Potchefstroom, posting an impressive 9.92 seconds in the semi‑finals while Omanyala watched from the stands.
“Akani is a great athlete. He ran well at the nationals,” Omanyala said. “Hats off to him for taking the SA title five times. I pray he has a good season ahead.”
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