Omanyala vows swift response after Rome setback

Ferdinand Omanyala/ HANDOUT

After a stuttering outing on Thursday night at the Rome Diamond League, Africa's fastest man, Ferdinand Omanyala, has vowed to pick up the lessons, regroup and return even stronger in his next outing.

In Rome, Omanyala struggled to find his usual top-end speed that has been on display this season, fading to an eighth-place finish after crossing the line in 10.11 seconds.

American sprint king Noah Lyles powered to victory in 9.88, ahead of Cameroon's Emmanuel Eseme, who clocked 9.94 for second place, while Botswana's Letsile Tebogo completed the podium in 9.95.

Reflecting on his outing in the Italian capital, Omanyala struck a determined tone, insisting he would draw valuable lessons from the race and bounce back with a sharper performance in his next appearance on the circuit. "Tough outing in Rome. I will take the hit but will always show up," Omanyala said.

The 30-year-old sprint star also expressed gratitude to his loyal supporters for standing by him through the highs and lows. "Thanks to Team Ferdy for always making sure I show up ready."

Omanyala had arrived in Rome hoping to better last year's performance at the same meeting, where he clocked 10.01 to finish third. That race was won by American Trayvon Bromell in 9.84, with Eseme claiming second place in 9.99.

Thursday night's result marked a rare blemish in what has otherwise been a blistering start to the 2026 campaign for the 2022 Commonwealth Games 100m champion. Omanyala opened his season in South Africa at the Cape Milers Continental Tour on April 10, sprinting to victory in 10.19.

Eight days later, he shifted into a higher gear at the Addis Ababa Grand Prix, dipping under the 10-second barrier with a winning time of 9.98 ahead of Haiti's Christopher Borzor (10.16) and Italy's Chituru Ali (10.26).

On April 24, he lit up the track at the Kip Keino Classic, producing a commanding display before a passionate home crowd to win in 9.96. South Africa's Rivaldo Roberts (10.12) and Canada's Aaron Brown (10.15) settled for second and third, respectively.

Two days later, Omanyala lined up at the Botswana Golden Grand Prix, where he clocked 9.95 to finish third behind Canadians Jerome Blake (9.93) and Andre De Grasse (9.95). The Kenyan speedster then launched his Diamond League campaign in Shanghai on May 16, storming to second place in 9.98, narrowly behind South Africa's Gift Leotlela, who took top honours in 9.97.

He followed that up with his first Diamond League victory in more than two years at the Xiamen meeting on May 23, stopping the clock in 9.94. Leotlela (10.00) and Bromell (10.03) finished second and third, respectively.

Ahead of the Rome Diamond League, Omanyala fine-tuned his preparations at the Triveneto Meeting Internazionale on May 30, sprinting to victory in 10.11 on Italian soil. Beyond his individual exploits, Omanyala also played a pivotal role in Kenya's men's 4x100m relay team at the World Relay Championships in Gaborone, Botswana, on May 3.

Running alongside Meshack Babu, Mark Otieno and Ronald Koech, the Kenyan quartet shattered the national record with a time of 38.50 seconds, finishing fifth in Heat Two of the qualifying rounds for the 2027 World Championships.