Reigning African and Commonwealth 100m champion Kenya’s Ferdinand Omanyala, former Olympics and two-time World 400m champion, Wayde van Nierkerk and Nigeria’s reigning World 100m hurdles record holder, Tobi Amusan will headline a strong African presence at the 2024 adidas Atlanta City Games on May 18 in Atlanta, USA.
Omanyala, the ninth-fastest man all-time at 100m is returning to Atlanta after a successful winter campaign that saw him finish fourth in the 60m final at the World Indoor Athletics Championships in Glasgow.
According to the organizers of the event, the Kenyan ‘will face-off against Zharnel Hughes, the 2018 and 2022 European Champion at 100m and 200m, respectively.
‘Hughes is coming to Atlanta after a fantastic 2023 season in which he ran 9.83 and 19.73 to break long-standing British records at 100m and 200m and earned the bronze medal in the 100m at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest.’
South African, who still owns the 40m world record of 43.03 will be competing in the 400m and, according to the organizers ‘will face stiff competition in the form of Antonio Watson of Jamaica, the reigning world champion at 400m, Steven Gardiner of The Bahamas, the 2019 World Athletics Champion at 400m, as well as Trinidad and Tobago’s Jereem Richards, the two-time Commonwealth Games Champion at 200m and 2022 World Athletics Indoor Champion at 400m.
Amusan will compete in the 100m hurdles event that will be featuring herself and USA’s Kendra Harrison, the two fastest women in history over the distance.
Two years ago, Amusan ran 12.12 to demolish the world record in the 100m hurdles on her way to capturing gold at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene.
Harrison, the 2018 World Athletics Indoor Champion in the 60m hurdles and 2020 Olympic silver medalist, is the former world record-holder and stands as the second fastest 100m hurdler of all-time at 12.20
