What next for Omanyala?

Kenya's Ferdinand Omanyala in action during the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. [Kelly Ayodi, Standard]

Africa 100m record holder Ferdinand Omanyala carried his fine form to the world indoor tour as he beat Olympic 100m champion Marcell Jacobs of Italy in men's 60m dash at Meeting Hauts-de-France Pas-de-Calais in Lievin, France, Wednesday night.

Omanyala, the Commonwealth Games champion, stopped the timer at 6.54 seconds, smashing his own national record of 6.55 seconds he had set just a week ago in Mondeville Meeting in France.

Jacobs, who is also the reigning world indoor champion settled for second in 6.57 seconds with Arthur Cisse of Ivory Coast trailing third in 6.59 seconds.

Omanyala kicked off his season with a second-place finish in Miramas on February 3 before winning in a national record in Mondeville on February 15.

It was a rematch between Omanyala and Jacobs with the last meeting between the duo being at the same venue a year ago with the Italian prevailing.

The 27-year-old then headed to Paris on February 11 where he clocked 6.56 before winding his two-week tour in Lievin on Wednesday night.

Last year, Omanyala became the second Kenyan to win 100m gold medal at the Commonwealth Games. His feat comes 60 years after the late Seraphino Antao won gold medals 100 and 220 yards at the 1962 Commonwealth Games in Perth in western Australia.

Omanyala, who passed out at the Kenya Police Training College Kiganjo last month, said the win motivates him ahead of the World Championships and the Olympic Games next year. "We have a busy calendar in the next two years. I hope to impress also at the World Championships and the Olympic Games. We have been lagging behind in sprints. They just needed someone to break the barriers, and I am sure many more talented Kenyans will now come out strongly to prove their mettle to the world," he said.