Kenya’s African record-holder Ferdinand Omanyala produced a stunning display to win the men’s 100m race at the Boris Hanzekovic Memorial- World Athletics Continental Tour Gold Meeting in Zagreb, Croatia on Sunday.

Meanwhile, world 3000m steeplechase record-holder Beatrice Chepkoech set a new mark of 5:47.42 to win the 2000m steeplechase. For Omanyala, he pulled away from the rest of to clock 9.94s (-0.9) for the win. Jamaica’s Oblique Seville came in second with a time of 10.07s, while Olympic champion Marcell Lamont Jacobs, finished third in 10.08s.

Since his disappointing display at the World Athletics Championship in Budapest, Hungary, this was the third time Omanyala was racing and was yet to win a race having finished second on both occasions. His first race after Budapest was at the Gala dei Castelli Bellinoza meeting a World Athletics Continental Tour Silver level series held in Bellinzona, Switzerland, where he came second behind Seville. The second race at the 2023 Palio Citta’ della Quercia Rovereto in Italy saw Omanyala lose to Seville yet again after settling for the second spot.

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Speaking after the Gold Meeting in Croatia, Omanyala revealed his delight at emerging victorious and managing to run under 10 seconds which was his target. “It is a pleasure to take this victory and to run such time almost at the end of the season, I said I wanted to run under 10s and that is what I did, you have to please the crowd and give them a show. I am not going to compete against anybody in Eugene,” said Omanyala.

The Kenyan sprinter added: “I am going to challenge myself (in Eugene) and to get the trophy. In Kenya, there’s a lot of talent, we have so many good sprinters, and I am quite happy that I am changing the mindset right now.”

Meanwhile, 32-year-old Chepkoech went into the event targeting the mark of 5:52.80 that had been achieved by Gesa Felicitas Krause in 2019 and she attacked it from the start. Moving ahead of the pacemakers, she went on to pass halfway in 2:51.15 and eventually took more than five seconds off the world best, with her 20-year-old compatriot Winnie Jemutai also getting incredibly close to the previous best with 5:52.92 for the runner-up spot.

Slovenia’s Marusa Mismas-Zrimsek was third in a national record of 5:53.38, while Albania’s Luiza Gega was fourth in 5:56.79.