Kennedy stuns home favourite Omanyala as in dramatic Kip Keino Classic men’s 100m finale
Young Australian blasts to 9.98 lifetime best to steal coveted crown from two-time champion and South African challenger Walaza
NAIROBI, Kenya, May 31, 2025- The man they all came to see and cheer delivered a medal but it was not the hue the passionate supporters expected or wished.
In the signature event of the day, the men’s 100m at the 2025 Absa Kip Keino Classic was supposed to be the homage to African record holder, Ferdinand Omanyala, a two-time winner of this event.
And he was coming off running another continental record of 14.39 in the rarely competed 150m.
Omanyala’s billed challenger was South African sprint sensation, Bayanda Walaza, who arrived in Nairobi having been crowned a World Relays champion earlier in the month.
But the expected showdown was never to be as Australia’s Lachlan Kennedy stole the show to storm to the coveted title.
Running from lane 4, the 20-year-old blasted to his 9.98 personal best to stun the crowd into almost complete silence, the kind of quiet that normally, is required for the start.
Kennedy’s Slipstream
“I have been trying to run below 10 seconds and I am happy it was possible today. It a huge PB for considering how elite the field was and at a high altitude.
“It means the season is heading in the right direction for me,” Kennedy said.
In his slipstream, Walaza, who won bronze at the Nairobi 2020 World Under 20 Championship in 2021 came home in 10.03 to at least, upgrade his medal in Kenya to silver.
The South African hailed the assembled field after getting a proper run out at the punishing elevation of Nairobi.
“I felt good. It was a good line up it felt like a real championship. I love the atmosphere and how lovely Kenyan fans are. I will definitely be coming back for the next one,” he added.
Omanyala stopped the timer in 10.07 for the bronze for his fourth Kip Keino Classic medal, which is a record for a sprinter at the annual event.
Despite the slight headwind of -0.7 m/s, the race proved to be one of the fastest and most competitive sprints ever run on Kenyan soil.
-By Robert Kibet | Freelance Journalist
-Photos: Organiser
