Omanyala’s Monaco Diamond League Victory

Ferdinand Omanyala celebrates after winning the Monaco Diamond League on July 21. Photo by Johnny Fidelin.

Source: Getty Images

Ferdinand Omanyala won his first-ever Diamond League race on July 21

He beat Letsile Tebogo by a hundredth of a millisecond to win in Monaco

The African champion has now regained the top position in the standings

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Ferdinand Omanyala took another huge step in realising his dream of winning this season’s Diamond League trophy after he stormed to a close victory at the Monaco Diamond League.

The fastest man on the continent beat Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo by a photo finish to become the first Kenyan to ever win a 100m race at a Diamond League event.

Ferdinand Omanyala, Akani Simbine, Diamond League Standings, Fred Kerley, Noah Lyles, World Athletics Championships

He finished in 9.92 seconds, while Tebogo was adjudged to have recorded a time of 9.93 seconds.

It has been a slow but steady improvement from Omanyala, who finished third at the Rabat Diamond League before back-to-back second-place finishes in Florence and Paris.

The Commonwealth Champion was the outright favourite to win in Monaco after his fellow heavy hitters, like South Africa’s Akani Simbine, withdrew.

Following his win, the 27-year-old has now reclaimed the top spot, tied with Simbine, who beat the World Champion Fred Kerley in Silesia last week.

The American now drops to third. Omanyala has now guaranteed his place in the Diamond League finals in Eugene, Oregon in September.

What next for Omanyala?

The African record holder will now head to Austria, where he will take part in the Joskolauf meeting on July 29. Afterwards, he will head to Budapest, where he will attempt to become the first Kenyan to medal in the 100m.

The World Athletics Championships are slated for August 19 to 27.

Wanda Diamond League rules

Sports Brief also previously reported on the rules of the Diamond League, which consists of around 15 meetings in different countries throughout the year.

In each of these meetings, the top eight athletes are awarded points based on their finishing position: number one gets 8 points, two gets 7, and so on.

For the final in Oregon, the USA, the top six in the field events and the top ten in the long-distance events compete based on the points they tallied.

What Diamond League winners earn

In news related to the track and field event, Sports Brief also reported on what Diamond League winners earn, following Omanyala and Faith Kipyegon’s Monaco victories.

Several records have fallen this season, setting up a super finale at the Prefontaine Classic in Oregon, on September 16 and 17 – the first Wanda Diamond League final in the USA.

Sports Brief