Ferdinand Omanyala Wins Diamond League Race in China With 9.94-Second Finish

Kenya’s Ferdinand Omanyala delivered one of the standout performances at the 2026 Xiamen Diamond League Meeting in China on Saturday, winning the men’s 100m in 9.94 seconds. The African record holder continued his strong start to the season in the second Diamond League meeting of the year, finishing ahead of South Africa’s Gift Leotlela and American sprinter Trayvon Bromell.

Leotlela, who won the season-opening Shanghai Diamond League meeting on May 16, took second place in 10.00 seconds. Bromell, a two-time world 100m bronze medallist from the United States, came third in 10.03 seconds. Omanyala’s victory marked a quick response after finishing runner-up to Leotlela in Shanghai, where the South African edged him by one hundredth of a second in 9.97 to 9.98.

The meet also produced strong results in the women’s 3,000m steeplechase, where Uganda’s Peruth Chemutai set a new meet record and world lead with a time of 8:51.06. The 2020 Tokyo Olympic champion improved on the previous Xiamen record of 8:55.40, which had been held by Kenya’s Beatrice Chepkoech since 2024. Bahrain’s Wilfred Yavi, the reigning Olympic champion, finished second in 8:51.54, with both athletes breaking the former meet mark. Kenya’s Faith Cherotich, the Paris Olympics bronze medallist and second-place finisher in Shanghai, was third in 8:52.53.

Kenya’s Dorcas Ewoi also featured in the women’s 1,500m, where she recorded a season-best 3:58.13 to finish fourth. Australia’s Abbey Caldwell won the race in 3:57.26, overturning the result from Shanghai, where Ethiopia’s Haylom Burke had claimed victory in 3:55.56 and Caldwell had placed third in 3:56.12. Ewoi had earlier finished fifth in Shanghai with a time of 3:57.74.

In the men’s 5,000m, Kenya’s Edwin Kurgat placed fifth in 13:01.47 as Ethiopia’s Addisu Yihune produced the fastest performance of the event. Yihune won in a meet record and world lead time of 12:57.32, breaking the previous Xiamen best of 12:58.96 set by fellow Ethiopian Girma Lamecha in 2024.

Overall, the Xiamen meeting delivered a mix of sprint, middle-distance and distance highlights, with Omanyala’s sharp 100m win standing out for Kenya. While some Kenyan athletes struggled to reach the podium, the event still featured notable performances from Cherotich, Ewoi and Kurgat against some of the world’s top competition.