Blistering fast Omanyala breaks national record in Mondeville

NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 9 – African 100m record holder Ferdinand Omanyala shattered the national 60m record on Wednesday night, running a blistering 6.55secs to win at the Mondeville Indoor meeting in France.

The Commonwealth champion lowered his previous mark of 6.57secs, also set in France last year, as he won his first race of the year.

He edged out Ivorian Arthur Cisse who beat him in his first indoor meet last weekend in Miramas, where he clocked 6.60secs to finish fourth. Cisse was second in Mondeville, clocking 6.59secs.

Charles Dobson of the United Kingdom was third clocking 6.61secs.

“I am delighted of course. It was a fantastic race and this is exactly what I had wanted, to run below 6.60secs. It is a really great improvement and I am looking forward to do more,” Omanyala said.

The Kenyan had said his ambition was to go lower than his time last weekend, and he indeed achieved the feat and went even lower, by running a new record time.

He will now shift his attention to the third indoor meet in the French capital Paris on Saturday.