Ferdinand Omanyala reacts after failing to make the 100m final (C) NOCK
Ferdinand Omanyala suffered a repeat of the disappointment he suffered at the Tokyo Olympic Games three years ago after failing short yet again in the semifinals of the men's 100 metres at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, Paris, on Sunday.
Running in a star-studded semifinal, the African record holder in the event saw his hopes of appearing in his first Olympics final quashed after finishing eighth in the third semifinal with a time of 10.08s.
Omanyala had a poor start, reacting to the gun late and struggling to find his rhythm as fast as possible. The race was over for him within the first 40 metres as the gap between him and those in front of him proved too big to close despite his best efforts.
Omanyala conceded in the last 10 metres, slowing down to cross the finish line in a disappointing eighth place, a downgrade from his third place finish with a time of 10.00s at the same stage in Tokyo three years ago.
Kishane Thompson of Jamaica, who boasts the fastest time in the event this year, 9.77s, won the race with the fastest time of the semifinals, 9.80s.
Fred Kerley of the USA was second with a time of 9.84s.
Benjamin Richardson of South Africa (9.95s), Abdul Hakim Sani Brown of Japan (9.96s, personal best), Andre de Grasse of Canada (9.98s, season best), Zharnel Hughes of Great Britain (10.01), and Abdul-Rasheed Saminu of Ghana (10.05s) were the other athletes to finish ahead of Omanyala in that race. Puripol Boonsoon of Thailand (10.14s) finished last in that heat that claimed the bronze medalist from Tokyo 2020, Andre de Grasse.
Thompson and Kerley joined Oblique Seville (Jamaica), Noah Lyles (USA), Akani Simbine (South Africa) and Letsile Tebogo (Botswana) in the final as athletes who qualified by virtue of finishing in the top two positions in their respective semifinals.
Reigning Olympic champion Lamont Marcell Jacobs of Italy had a narrow escape, qualifying for the final as one of the fastest finishers ranking outside the top two positions together with Kenneth Bednarek of the USA.
The Italian and the American completed the line-up for the final after clocking 9.92s and 9.93s to finish third and fourth respectively in the second final.
Oblique Seville of Jamaica won the first semifinal with a time of 9.81s, a personal best, equalling the American Noah Lyles for third fastest time seen in the 100 metres this year. Lyles, who is the reigning world champion, was also competing in the first semifinal and finished in second place with a time of 9.83s, seeming unbothered as Seville stared at him on their way to crossing the finish line in an almost photo finish.
Seville's and Lyles' fast times were not matched in the second semifinal which saw the southern Africa duo of Akani Simbine (South Africa) and Letsile Tebogo (Botswana) qualifying after finish in first and second place with times of 9.87s and 9.91s respectively.
Simbine, running side to side with Tebogo, won the race after powering past the Motswana athlete who seemed to have had surged ahead of everyone in the first 60 metres.
Tebogo's compalcency almost cost him a place in the final as he narrowly edged the Olympic champion Jacobs and Bednarek. However, the latter duo's determination was later rewarded when it emerged later that none of the finishers ranked outside the top two registered better times than them.
