South African sprint star Akani Simbine continued his sensational 2025 campaign on Sunday evening, claiming victory in the men’s 100m at the Rabat Diamond League with a time of 9.95 seconds (0.6 m/s wind). The 31-year-old maintained his flawless record this season, outpacing Kenya’s Ferdinand Omanyala who clocked 10.05s for second place, while American Fred Kerley secured third in 10.07s.
The result marks another statement performance from Simbine, who has firmly established himself as the man to beat in this year. No other 100m sprinter has been in better form in 2025, and Sunday’s win only extended his dominance on the international stage.
A Season of Consistency and History
Akani Simbine opened his outdoor season in April with a stunning 9.90s in Gaborone, a time that still stands as the fastest in the world this year. Since then, he’s racked up Diamond League victories in Xiamen and Keqiao, alongside a wind-assisted 9.86 (+2.3) at the Atlanta City Games last weekend.
Beyond individual glory, Simbine has also delivered for his country. At the World Athletics Relays in Guangzhou, he anchored South Africa to a world-leading 37.61s in the men’s 4x100m, chasing down the USA in the final stretch to claim gold and secure qualification for the World Championships in Tokyo later this year.
His consistency has also seen him break records, becoming the first man in history to record 11 consecutive sub-10 second seasons, surpassing the legendary Usain Bolt in the process.
Omanyala and Kerley Keep Chasing
While Akani Simbine shone in Rabat, Kenya’s Ferdinand Omanyala continued his steady season with a solid 10.05s for second place. American sprinter Fred Kerley, the Olympic silver and bronze medalist, finished third. Though he missed out on the top spot, Kerley remains one of the top contenders this season, having recently posted a wind-aided 9.87 (+2.9) in Azusa.
A Tough Double for Tebogo
Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo, the reigning Olympic 200m champion, attempted a rare Diamond League sprint double, competing in both the 100m and 200m within an hour. However, he could only manage 9th place in 10.43s in the 100m, his third Diamond League 100m appearance of the year after clocking a season-best 10.03s earlier in the campaign.
Eyes on Tokyo and Olympic Redemption
Simbine’s Rabat triumph not only strengthens his position as the early favorite heading into the World Championships in Tokyo, but also serves as motivation following his heartbreak at Paris 2024. There, he narrowly missed out on a medal in what was the tightest 100m Olympic final in history, finishing fourth by mere thousandths of a second.
With his current form, few would bet against Simbine finally landing a world title in Tokyo and further cementing his legacy as one of Africa’s greatest sprinters.
