Running News Daily

Omanyala among top sprinters to headline Prefontaine Classic

Africa’s fastest man Ferdinand Omanyala and world indoor 60m champion Christian Coleman of the USA will go head to head at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon, on May 25.

Omanyala shattered the African 100m record with a lightning-fast time of 9.77 at the 2021 Kip Keino Classic, just narrowly trailing behind USA’s Trayvon Bromell, who clocked 9.76.

His dominance continued with back-to-back victories at the Kip Keino Classic in 2022 and 2023, clocking 9.85 and 9.84 respectively. 

He, however, fell short during this year’s edition placing fifth in 10.03. USA’s Kenneth Bednarek took the title in 9.91.

Coleman claimed the Diamond Trophy over 100m last year in Xiamen, China, by equaling the world lead of 9.83 set by Zharnel Hughes.

Also in the lineup is the World Indoor 60m bronze medallist Ackeem Blake of Jamaica.

In the women’s 100m, USA’s Sha’Carri Richardson will be the one to keep an eye on.

Richardson sped to victory over 100m at last year’s World Championships in Budapest, setting a PB of 10.65 to equal the championship record, and followed it by anchoring the USA to gold in the 4x100m.

She will, however, face fierce competition from World Indoor 60m champion Julien Alfred of St Lucia and African record-holder Marie-Josee Ta Lou of the Ivory Coast.

The men’s 200m in Eugene will also be highly competitive as USA’s Erriyon Knighton, Letsile Tebogo of Botswana and Bednarek going head to head.

Knighton – who has a lifetime best of 19.49 – took silver in that discipline at last year’s World Championships, earning his second global medal before even turning 20.

Tebogo won back-to-back world U20 titles over 100m in 2021 and 2022, then claimed world 100m silver and 200m bronze in Budapest last year, just weeks after turning 20. His PB of 19.50 is just 0.01 shy of Knighton’s.

Bednarek claimed Olympic silver in 2021 and followed it with world silver in 2022. Along with Tebogo, Bednarek is one of a small number of men who have broken 10 seconds for 100m, 20 seconds for 200m and 45 seconds for 400m.