African and Commonwealth Games 100m champion Ferdinand Omanyala clocked 9.79 seconds, the world-leading time this season, at the Olympic trials held on Saturday afternoon at Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi.
Omanyala, who is also the fastest African athlete, had already qualified for the Paris Games but was eager to deliver a strong performance at home in what was his last race in Nairobi before the summer fiesta.
After hinting at his intentions following the semifinals yesterday, Omanyala eased to victory, finishing well ahead of his closest challenger, Mark Otieno, a former national champion in the distance.
“This is a warning to so many people in the world, of what could happen in the next three months…” Omanyala said confidently after the race.
Otieno finished with a time of 10.12 seconds. Despite not hitting the qualification mark, he was pleased with his performance and remains hopeful about making the Paris team.
“It is not over until it is over. There is still time, and I will go back to work on improving my time,” he said.