South Africa’s Akani Simbine maintained his superb 2025 form, winning the 100m in 9.99 seconds at Xiamen Diamond League.
Simbine finished well ahead of Kenya’s Ferdinand Omanyala, who took second place in 10.13 seconds, while Great Britain’s Jeremiah Azu claimed third with a time of 10.17. American speedster Christian Coleman, finished fourth in 10.18, while Botswana’s rising star Letsile Tebogo struggled, placing seventh with 10.20.
Though slightly slower than his world-leading 9.90 at the Botswana Golden Grand Prix just two weeks prior, Simbine’s consistency in breaking the 10-second barrier highlights his exceptional early-season form. He remains the only athlete besides compatriot Bayanda Walaza to achieve a sub-10 time in 2025.
Simbine acknowledged a minor stumble during the race but expressed satisfaction with his ability to recover and secure the win. “
The race felt good. I stumbled a bit after the 60, but I had to catch myself. I’m quite happy with catching the win and keeping the momentum going,” he said in a post-race interview.
Simbine credited a back-to-basics approach and his decision to compete in indoor events to sharpen his race execution.
“Going back to the basics and putting myself in a position to learn has been key. Racing indoors helped me work on the first part of my race, and I’m happy with where I am right now,” he explained.
“If conditions are good—with a favorable wind and everything aligned—we’ll see what’s possible. But for now, I’m just focused on putting races together and getting wins,” he added.
For Ferdinand Omanyala, this race marked another second-place finish behind Simbine, though his time of 10.13 was slower than the 10.00 he posted in Botswana.
Meanwhile, Olympic 200m champion Letsile Tebogo had a disappointing outing, fading late in the race.
Tebogo stays upbeat after Xiamen setback, calls it a ‘great opener’ and vows technical fixes before next race.
“I believe the next race will be more amazing,” Tebogo said.
“There are a few things missing both technically and in training but we’ll correct them in the coming weeks.”
