Africa’s 100m and Commonwealth Games goal medalist Ferdinand Omanyala smashed the track in the Botswana Grand Prix but missed setting a new record by 0.01 seconds.
Every micro-second counts, and Omanyala missed his African record by 0.01 seconds at the National Stadium, Gaborone, on Saturday.
Omanyala set the African record when he finished second at the 2021 Kip Keino Classic in 9.77.
The 100m showcase pitted Omanyala against World U-20 Champion Letsile Tebogo, running on home soil, and the two lived up to the billing.
The Kenyan blistered away in the race but kept his focus on the homeboy, thus losing a few seconds that could have seen him better his record.
Tebogo posted 9.91 seconds, settling for second place in a dominant performance by Omanyala.
The two beat the World Athletics Championships qualification time for the Budapest Games in August this year, where they are destined to renew the friendly rivalry.
World Athletics set a 100m qualification at 10.0s, and the two were the only athletes to beat the time.
Before the race, Omanyala boasted of a season’s best of 10.05 from his Athletics South Africa Grand Prix 2 held on April 12 at Bestmed Tuks Stadium, Pretoria.