South Africa’s Akani Simbine continued his strong start to the 2025 outdoor season, narrowly defeating Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson in a photo-finish 100m race at the Shanghai Diamond League on Saturday.
Simbine, running in lane five, blasted out of the blocks with a reaction time of 0.156 seconds and maintained his form down the stretch to stop the clock at 9.98 seconds, just one-hundredth of a second ahead of Thompson, who set a season’s best of 9.99 seconds in lane four.
This marks Simbine’s second sub-10-second run of the year, reinforcing his return to top form.
Botswana’s rising sprint star Letsile Tebogo claimed third place with a season-best 10.03 seconds, continuing to impress as he balances both the 100m and 200m events.
Cameroon’s Emmanuel Eseme delivered a strong performance, clocking a personal season best of 10.07 to finish fourth, while 2019 world champion Christian Coleman of the U.S. struggled to challenge for the podium, finishing fifth in 10.13 seconds.
Kenya’s Ferdinand Omanyala, the African record holder, entered the race with high expectations but failed to find his rhythm, finishing ninth and last in 10.25 seconds despite a decent reaction time (0.146). The result will raise questions about his form as he looks ahead to upcoming meets.
With this victory, Simbine reaffirms his status as a major contender in global sprinting. His ability to deliver under pressure sets the stage for an exciting season ahead, with eyes now on the Diamond League circuit and World Championships.
