Commonwealth Games champion Ferdinand Omanyala has broken new ground yet again, setting a new African record in the men’s 150m at the Atlanta City Games in the United States on Saturday night.
Omanyala blazed to victory in 14.70 seconds, finishing ahead of Terrence Jones of the Bahamas, who clocked 14.93, and American Matthew Boling, who placed third in 15.15.
This remarkable performance shattered Omanyala’s own previous African record of 14.89, which he set at the same event in 2023, where he finished third.
With this latest feat, he now climbs to sixth on the all-time global list for the 150m sprint — surpassing Jamaican sprint star Yohan Blake, who ran 14.71 in Manchester a decade ago.
Saturday’s record becomes the second major continental milestone for Omanyala, who already holds the African 100m record with a time of 9.77, set during the Kip Keino Classic World Continental Tour in Nairobi in 2021 — a performance that crowned him as Africa’s fastest man.
This new achievement comes hot on the heels of another major success, as Omanyala recently helped Kenya’s 4x100m relay team qualify for the upcoming World Championships.
Competing in Guangzhou, China, Omanyala, alongside Boniface Mweresa, Meshack Babu, and Samuel Odhiambo, clocked 38.51 seconds to finish second in Heat 2 at the World Relays, securing their ticket to Tokyo.
Omanyala’s steady rise and record-breaking form continue to solidify his place as a trailblazer in African and global sprinting.
