NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 2 – Africa’s sprint king Ferdinand Omanyala missed out on a medal at the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow, Scotland, after finishing at fourth place in the 60m dash final won by America’s Chris Coleman.
Omanyala didn’t have an electric start off the blocks as he had in the heats and semis where he clocked 6.52 consecutively, and came home with a slower time of 6.56.
Coleman led compatriot Noah Lyles, the pre-race favourite to a one-two American finish where he clocked a world leading time of 6.41 while Lyles crossed the line in 6.44.
Jamaica’s Ackeem Blake finished third in 6.46 with Omanyala failing in his late bid to narrow the gap towards the line.
Coleman had shown signs that he meant business when he clocked 6.43 to win his semi, and he chopped off that time further with a faster run in the final.
Kenya’s Omanyala, the African 100m record holder should be proud of his performance, having massively improved from his world indoor debut when he didn’t get past the semis.
He now comes back home to plan for the outdoor season, with several Diamond League races coming up before the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in August.
Meanwhile, Kenya’s Vincent Keter qualified for the final of the men’s 1500m after winning his heat in a time of 3:38.96.
