Paris Diamond League: Ferdinand Omanyala misses podium finish in thriller
By Luke Oluoch, June 28, 2026USA’s Trayvon Bromell won the men’s 100m Paris Diamond League race, powering to a season’s best of 9.91 seconds to beat out Rome edition winner Noah Lyles.
Lyles came in second at 9.92 seconds, followed by Italy’s former Olympic champion Lamont Marcell Jacobs, who clocked 9.96 seconds to wrap up the podium places.
Running out of lane 8, Bromell was the surprise package of the thrilling race, clocking his season-best time to claim the honours.
Omanyala in fifth
Meanwhile, Ferdinand Omanyala crossed the finish line in fifth place with a time of 10.02 seconds, missing out on the podium.
The performance comes on the heels of an eighth-place finish at the Rome Diamond League and a subsequent fifth-place finish at the FBK Games in the Netherlands.
Despite missing the podium, the Kenyan sprinter showed a significant improvement from the 10.13 seconds he registered in the Netherlands. Africa’s fastest man focused on the positives as he assessed his chances against the star-studded field.
“The race was tough,” Omanyala said. “We made some little progress from last week’s tough outing, so I can’t complain. However, the weather in Paris really affected my performance; I prefer relatively warmer temperatures.”
Looking ahead, he added, “We go back to training now. The Commonwealth Games are next, and I look forward to that.”
In his last race in the Netherlands, the fastest African man renewed his iconic rivalry with the South African Akani Simbine.
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.
Meanwhile, the Paris race marked the second time the Kenyan trackster shared the track with Bromell and Lyles in Diamond League action.
Omanyala edged Bromwell in the memorable Xiamen leg, racing to a gold medal in a time of 9.94 on May 23, 2026, with Bromwell completing the podium in third place with a time of 10.03 seconds.
His first meeting in a race where Olympic champion Lyles featured ended in disappointing fashion, with the American claiming victory during the Rome Diamond League on June 4, 2026.
Omanyala suffered a tough night out of the blocks, finishing eighth in 10.11 seconds.