Omanyala breaks African 150m record again at Atlanta City Games

Ferdinand Omanyala (C) Courtesy

By Rama Mohammed
Sunday, May 18, 2025

Ferdinand Omanyala stormed to victory in the men’s 150m at the Atlanta City Games on Saturday, breaking his own African record with a time of 14.70 seconds. His dominant performance headlined a night that also saw Nigeria’s Favour Ofili set a new world best in the women’s race.

Kenya’s Ferdinand Omanyala produced another historic sprint on Saturday night, clocking a blistering 14.70 seconds to win the men’s 150m at the 2025 Atlanta City Games and break his own African record.

Omanyala had entered the race as the clear favourite following the withdrawal of American superstar Noah Lyles due to injury and the disqualification of Alexander Ogando for a false start. With his main challengers out, the Commonwealth champion seized the moment with a commanding run at Piedmont Park.

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The 28-year-old had a strong start out of the blocks, but was briefly challenged by Terrence Jones within the first 50 metres. Omanyala, however, powered ahead in the final stretch to take the win in dominant fashion. Jones settled for second in 14.93 seconds while Matthew Boling finished third in 15.15.

Ferdinand Omanyala broke away in the 150m for the win! 🇰🇪 pic.twitter.com/ZeixccsfZk
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) May 17, 2025

The Kenyan sprint star shaved 0.19 seconds off his previous African record of 14.89, which he had set at the same event in 2023. Only sprint legends Usain Bolt (14.35) and Tyson Gay/Noah Lyles (14.41) have ever run faster in the rarely-contested 150m race.

Omanyala remains the only African athlete ranked among the top 25 all-time fastest men over the distance.

Noah Lyles, the reigning world and Olympic 200m champion, had been expected to feature in the headline race against Omanyala, but withdrew after suffering from a tight ankle.

“Unfortunately, I just have a really tight ankle. It kind of surprised us a couple of weeks ago,” Lyles said. “We came up to Atlanta thinking that anything could happen... but it wasn’t getting better and I need to play it safe. It’s just a little inflammation.”

The American still made an appearance at the venue for promotional events but did not compete.

In the women’s 150m, Nigeria’s Favour Ofili delivered one of the night’s standout performances by smashing the world record. She clocked 15.85 seconds to become the first woman to break the 16-second barrier.

The previous world best of 16.23 was held by Shaunae Miller-Uibo since 2018. Tamari Davis finished second behind Ofili in 16.14.

Simbine Sizzles Again in Men’s 100m

South Africa’s Akani Simbine maintained his hot start to the season by winning the men’s 100m in 9.86 seconds, although the performance won’t be officially recognised due to a 2.3 m/s tailwind—just over the legal limit.

“It’s no pressure,” Simbine said after the race. “I get to come enjoy something that is no stress—just run and have fun. I wasn’t expecting that time at all. Crazy.”

In the women’s 100m, Cambrea Sturgis edged out McKenzie Long in a dramatic finish. Both sprinters clocked 10.98 seconds, but Sturgis won by a margin of six-thousandths of a second.