Olympic Games 100 metres champion Noah Lyles from USA, Commonwealth Games champion Ferdinand Omanyala from Kenya, and World Indoor Championships 60m bronze medallist Akani Simbine have been separated at the Adidas Atlanta City Games on Saturday.
The annual track and field meeting and street meet will be held from 8pm (Kenyan time) in Atlanta.
Omanyala and Lyles will face off over 150m while Simbine, who is fresh anchoring South Africa’s 4x100metres team to victory at the world relays in, takes the blocks in 100m.
Omanyala and Lyles ran different races last year with the Kenyan, who is Africa’s fastest man losing the battle to Simbine in 10.00 seconds against 9.90 in 100m.
Omanyala, who finished second at the Botswana Golden Grand Prix (10.00-season best) and Xiamen Diamond League (10.13) is fresh from guiding Kenya’s 4x100m team to the world championships in China.
Since the Paris Games, Lyles returned to competition running the 60m in the winter indoor season, then opened his outdoor campaign in April with a personal-best 45.87 seconds in the 400m, an event he doesn’t race at major championships.
Lyles won the 150m dash last year, running the second fastest time in history of 14.41, beating Zharnel Hughes from Britain to second in 14.66.
Lyles now tie with his compatriot Tyson Gay with second all-time best where Jamaican legendary sprinter Usian Bolt holds the world record of 14.35 from 2008 Manchester.
Buoyed by his team’s victory from the world relays, Simbine, who has a world lead of 9.90 from his victory at Botswana Golden Grand Prix, and Jamaican Oblique Seville clash in the Men’s 100m.
Simbine, the winner of Xiamen (9.99) and Shanghai (9.98) Diamond League, is looking hot and favourite to exert revenge against Seville, who beat him last year over the distance. Seville timed 9.99 to win last year, beating Simbine to second place in 10.01.
Rio Olympic 400m champion Wayde van Niekerk of South Africa drops down to the 200m at the Games that return to Piedmont Park. The field also includes Brit Zharnel Hughes, the 2023 World 100m bronze medalist.
World record holder Tobi Amusan from Nigeria will field in the women’s 100m hurdles final, facing off against American star Tia Jones and Olympic medalist Megan Tapper.
World Indoor champion Mattia Furlani, world silver medalist Ese Brume and Olympian Anna Hall will take on the long jump.
The Adidas Atlanta City Games, formerly known as Adidas BOOST Boston Games, is an annual track and field meeting and street meet in Atlanta, Georgia. The games were originally held in Boston, Massachusetts from 2016 to 2021, and were relocated to Atlanta City in 2023.
The Adidas Atlanta City Games, formerly known as Adidas BOOST Boston Games, is an annual track and field meeting, and street meet in Atlanta, Georgia. The games were originally held in Boston, Massachusetts from 2016 to 2021, and were relocated to Atlanta City in 2023.
