List of stellar cast Omanyala will be up against at Botswana Golden Grand Prix

ATHLETICS List of stellar cast Omanyala will be up against at Botswana Golden Grand Prix

Abigael Wafula 09:35 - 21.04.2023

Omanyala will be lining up as the fastest in the field with a personal best time of 9.77, the African record time.

Organisers of the Botswana Golden Grand Prix slated for Saturday, April 29 have announced another wave of major championship medallists who will face off against each other at the Continental Tour Gold meeting in Gaborone.

The men’s 100m field contains five men with sub-10-second personal best times and will feature Africa 100m champion Ferdinand Omanyala and world silver medallist Marvin Bracy.

Omanyala will be lining up as the fastest in the field with a personal best time of 9.77, the African record time.

The Commonwealth Games 100m champion has been in impressive form that saw him take top honours in the two editions of the ASA Grand Prix and will be looking for a repeat at the event.

During the second Athletics Kenya meet held at the Nyayo National Stadium on February 25, Omanyala also obliterated a strong field to win the 100m in 9.81 ahead of compatriot Samwel Imeta who clocked 9.94. Sadly, World Athletics rejected the fast times posted by the duo due to the faulty wind gauge.

Omanyala will be up against US sprinter Bracy who earned world indoor silver in 2014 and reached the world indoor podium again in 2022, clocking a 60m PB of 6.44. Outdoors, he has a 100m PB of 9.85, and last year he finished in the top two in all but one of his 100m races.

World and Olympic 200m silver medallist Kenny Bednarek will step down from his usual specialist distance. The versatile US sprinter is still an accomplished 100m performer, boasting a PB of 9.89.

Canada’s world 4x100m champion Aaron Brown is also in the field. The multiple world and Olympic 100m and 200m finalist has a PB of 9.96 for the shorter distance.

Liberian record-holder Emmanuel Matadi and triple world U20 medallist Benji Richardson of South Africa are also in the line-up. 

Nigeria’s Ese Brume, the world indoor and outdoor silver medallist, leads the women’s long jump field. The Olympic bronze medallist and Commonwealth champion holds the African record at 7.17m.

She will take on African champion Marthe Koala of Burkina Faso and German Olympian Maryse Luzolo.

These athletes join the previously announced stars Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, who is contesting the 100m, and Sha'Carri Richardson, who will line up for the 200m.

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