Commonwealth Games: Ferdinand Omanyala's 100m triumph the 'perfect race'

Ferdinand Omanyala is the first Kenyan man to win the 100m at the Commonwealth Games

Ferdinand Omanyala says winning the 100m title at the Commonwealth Games was the "perfect race" that he has "always been dreaming of".

The 26-year-old clocked 10.02 seconds to claim gold in Birmingham on Wednesday, beating defending champion Akani Simbine by 0.11 seconds.

Omanyala becomes the first Kenyan to win the Commonwealth crown, adding to the continental triumph he recorded in Mauritius in June when he saw off South Africa's Simbine in a photo-finish.

"This was the goal we had since the start of the year - to win the African Championships and the Commonwealth Games," Omanyala told BBC Sport.

"We have achieved what we said, so we thank God for this. I am sure it will have a lot of impact, because I'll be training knowing that I'm Commonwealth and African champion.

"This is a big motivation. We are adding more accolades to my success."

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Omanyala's success come after disappointment at the World Championships in Eugene, where he failed to make the final after arriving late in the United States because of visa delays.

However, he says he forgot about that experience "after days".

"It is all about just moving forwards and using setbacks as stepping stones," he added. "You have to pick up yourself. Everything happens for a reason."

In June, Omanyala became just the second Kenyan to be crowned African champion over 100m, emulating 1990 winner Joseph Gikonyo, and expects more sprinters to emerge from the east African country on the back of his triumphs.

"There is so much talent in Kenya, it's just that they never saw anybody ahead of them that has been sprinting.

"With my success, there are going to be so may sprinters coming. You saw one of our guys [Samwel Imeta] get to the semi-finals. Next time we'll all be in the final," he rallied.

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Ghana's Benjamin Azamati finished agonisingly outside the medals, coming fourth just 0.02s behind bronze medallist Yupun Abeykoon of Sri Lanka, while Cameroon's Emmanuel Eseme crossed the line in seventh.

Elsewhere on day six in Birmingham, Cameroon's Junior Periclex Ngadja Nyabeyeu won gold in the men's 109kg weightlifting to give his nation its first medal of the Games.

Ngadja Nyabeyeu lifted a combined 361kg over his snatch and clean and jerk to seal his place on the top of the podium.

Meanwhile, Nigerian duo Rosemary Chukwuma and Nzubechi Grace Nwokocha were fourth and fifth respectively in the women's 100m final.

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