It was a 32-year-old long wait for Kenya to win Africa 100m gold.
But today, the Africa 100m record holder Ferdinand Omurwa Omanyala clinched his first career medal with gold at the ongoing Africa Senior Athletics championships in Reduit, Mauritius.
The former rugby player defeated reigning Commonwealth Games 100m champion Akan Simbine in a photo finish in 9:93 to claim gold and silver respectively.
Omanyala faced off with defending champion Simbine for the title at the Cote d’Or National Sports Complex as another South African Henricho Bruintjies won bronze in bronze in 10.01.
He also beat the championships record that was held by Nigerian Seun Ogunkoya in 9.94 set in 1998 Dakar, Senegal.
Omanyala becomes the only other Kenyan to win the Africa 100m title after legendary Joseph Gikonyo, who claimed both the 100m and 200m crowns at the 1990 Cairo Championships.
In women 100m, National 100m champion and record holder Maximila Imali finished 5th in 11.29 with 2019 African Games 100m silver medallist Gina Bass from Gambia winning the race in 11.06, beating Seyni Aminatou from Niger to second place in 11.09 as Carina Horn from South Africa clocked 11.08 for bronze