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FBK Games: South Africa’s Akani Simbine shines as Omanyala falter in Netherlands
21st June, 2026 07:36 PM
South Africa’s Akani Simbine and Africa’s fastest man, Ferdinand Omanyala, renewed their iconic rivalry in the men’s 100m at the FBK Games in the Netherlands, with the South African once again getting the better of the Kenyan.
The explosive encounter in Hengelo on Sunday, June 21, 2026, saw Simbine lead South Africa to a stunning 1-2 finish, clocking a winning time of 10.08 seconds.
He powered through the final steps to edge out his young compatriot Bradley Nkoana at the tape, who finished as runner-up.
The duo was separated by 0.003s.
Fifth place
Omanyala crossed the line in fifth position, registering a time of 10.13 seconds. Ronnie Baker of the USA rounded out the podium in third with a time of 10.11 seconds, while the Netherlands’ Taymir Burnet came in fourth.
The race came just less than 24 hours after Omanyala stormed to a blistering 10.00 seconds to win the 100m final at the National Championships and Commonwealth Games Trials at Nyayo Stadium on Saturday. June 20, 2026.
The race in Hengelo also comes just weeks after the two African speed kings faced off at the Rome Diamond League on June 5, 2026.
In that elite field, Simbine also beat Omanyala, finishing sixth in 10.03 seconds, while Omanyala settled for eighth in 10.11 seconds. American superstar Noah Lyles won that race in a season-best 9.88 seconds, with Cameroon’s Emmanuel Eseme claiming second.
Omanyala-Simbine’s storied rivalry
This stretch of races adds another chapter to their extensive head-to-head record on the global circuit. While Omanyala holds the African record at 9.77 seconds, when he beat Simbine to claim the 2022 African Championship title,
Simbine has historically held the upper hand in direct Diamond League and international invitational matchups but remains behind Omanyala in the overall Diamond League ranking, having twice finished behind Omanyala in two other events, including the Xiamen Leg in 2026, when the Kenyan stunned a loaded field, blazing across the finish line in an impressive 9.94 seconds to emerge as the only athlete to dip under the elusive 10-second barrier.
