Rabat Diamond League: Ferdinand Omanyala Second As Akani Simbine Wins Yet Again
- Ferdinand Omanyala crossed the line second to beat a lot of star-studded athletes at the Rabat Diamond League
- Omanyala was second to the most in-form athlete of 2025, Akani Simbine, who posted another brilliant result
- It is Omanyala's second podium in the Diamond League this season after a similar result in Xiamen last month
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Ferdinand Omanyala finished an impressive second in the men's 100m at the Rabat Diamond League on Sunday evening, May 25.
Source: Getty Images
Omanyala crossed the line with a time of 10.05 seconds in a star-studded field in Morocco.
Akani Simbine continued with his perfect start to the season, posting another sub-10 time to win with a time of 9.95 seconds.
The men's race in Morocco attracted some top names. Apart from Simbine and Omanyala, the 2022 World champion and the Olympic bronze medallist, Fred Kerley, was also at the start line alongside 200m Olympic champion Letsile Tebogo. Kerley was third with a time of 10.07 seconds.
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Omanyala got a better start, but was closed down by Simbine in the last 60m to settle for second place.
"The race was very good and I am happy for achieving the second place, however, I still need to improve to achieve better results. This is my second time in Rabat, and each time the atmosphere is fantastic, and I also enjoyed the cheering of the crowd. I will definitely come back again," said Omanyala after the race.
Simbine has been unbeatable this season, starting his year with a bronze medal win at the World Indoor Championships. He is the fastest man this season. The South African was elated with his performance in Rabat.
"I feel great, I feel confident, I am happy that I could take the win today and that I can finish this month strong and healthy. Another sub-10 in the bag, which is really great. I am looking forward to the rest of the season and going back to training in Italy to get ready for the next Diamond League."
Simbine also called on World Athletics to organise more Diamond League events in Africa.
"It´s amazing to have this kind of competition in Africa. I wish we had so much more of them. Look at the stands, people love watching sports."
Source: Getty Images
Ferdinand Omanyala's 2025 season so far
Omanyala headed to North Africa just a week after breaking the African record in the men's 150m race at the Atalanta City Games.
It has been a mixed start to the 2025 season for the fastest man in Africa, but he will be buoyed by his preparations ahead of the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.
He lost his first major race at the ASA Grand Prix in South Africa before recovering to win the second edition. He was also second to Akani Simbine at the Botswana Golden Grand Prix.
In the Diamond League, Omanyala finished second in Xiamen before a disappointing eighth in Shanghai.
Kipkeino Classic 2025
Up next for Omanyala will be the Kipkeino Classic at the Ulinzi Sports Complex this coming weekend.
"My next race will be in Kenya and I will try to do better than here," he noted.
Kipkeino Classic 2025 details
The government recently officially launched the 2025 Kipkeino Classic, which was moved to Ulinzi Sports Complex from Nyayo Stadium. Nyayo is still undergoing renovation ahead of the Africa Nations Championships (CHAN) slated for August.
Apart from Omanyala, double world javelin champion Anderson Peters, Liberian sprinter Joseph Fanbulleh, among others, will grace the Continental Gold Tour event. Fanbulleh was second in the men's 200m in Rabat behind American Courtney Lindsey.
Swiss sprinter Mujinga Kambundji had also been scheduled to compete, but she recently announced her pregnancy, which effectively ends her 2025 season. Kambundji is a two-time world indoor champion in the women's 60m.
Beatrice Chebet wins women's 3,000m
In a separate report, Beatrice Chebet ran the second-fastest women's 3,000m race of all time at the same event.
The double Olympic champion brought down the meeting record as her time was the second-fastest in 32 years.
Chebet finished 15 seconds ahead of the second-placed finisher.
Proofreading by Mercy Nyambura, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
