Ferdinand Omanyala won the men’s 100m at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games on the new athletics track at the Alexander Stadium.
A packed-out crowd roared on the finalists in the penultimate event on Wednesday (3 August), with the Kenyan blasting out the blocks to win comfortably in a time of 10.02s.
Second was Gold Coast 2018 champion Akani Simbine of South Africa and rounding out the podium, a sensational bronze for Sri Lanka’s Yupun Abeykoon.
It was redemption for Omanyala, who failed to reach the World Athletics Championships final last month. Visa issues meant that the African record holder arrived in Eugene at the 11th hour, and he was subsequently unable to perform at his best.
“I came here with the sole aim of winning the gold and in the final it was a case of controlling the race from the start,” Omanyala said after his victory in Birmingham.
“Once I got a good start I knew I would win the gold. When I crossed the line I felt like jumping for joy.”
Simbine showed humility and respect for his rival after surrendering his Commonwealth title.
“I’m happy but I didn’t execute it [his race] as well as I should have done. But I’m glad to be on the podium again. I came here as the defending champion and this time I’m second,” he said.
“Ferdinand is a very quick runner and I’ve got a lot of respect for him, and this is good for Africa.”
Birmingham 2022 – men’s 100m results
1 Ferdinand Omanyala, Kenya 10.02s
2 Akani Simbine, South Africa 10.13s
3 Yupun Abeykoon, Sri Lanka 10.14s
4 Benjamin Azamati, Ghana 10.16s
5 Jeremiah Azu, Wales 10.19s
6 Rohan Browning, Australia 10.20s
7 Emmanuel Eseme, Cameroon 10.24s
8 Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake, England 11.10s
