Xiamen was supposed to be a shot at redemption for American sprinting, but it ended up delivering a brutal sense of déjà vu. For the second consecutive week, the U.S. contingent missed out on the top two spots, swapping their third and fourth-place finishes while international rivals Gift Leotlela and Ferdinand Omanyala once again traded the gold and silver. Two meets into the outdoor season, and the message is clear: in the absence of Noah Lyles, America simply cannot catch a break.

The Shanghai DL meet saw Leotlela continue his great form, translating it into a superb 9.97 run in the 100m to claim the title. Kenyan Omanyala was not far behind (9.98), with Americans Kenneth Bednarek and Trayvon Bromell in third and fourth, respectively.

Then, in the Xiamen DL, everything switched around. This time, Omanyala finished first with 9.94, comfortably beating Leotlela (10.00) for the win.

Meanwhile, Bromell and Bednarek finished third and fourth with 10.03 in a photo finish. It marked yet another poor result for the American stars, with them struggling to get over that third-place hurdle. Americans haven’t won 100m or 200m since 2025, losing to Jamaican and Kenyan sprinters.

Lyles skipped the Asian leg of the Diamond League last season. Christian Coleman competed alone while Lyles recovered, finishing fourth and fifth in Xiamen and Shanghai. Courtney Lindsey then arrived, winning the USA their first men’s 100m or 200m medal in the 2025 DL, finishing second in Doha.

The arrival of Fred Kerley in Rabat further changed things as the Americans took first and third, albeit in the absence of some of the world’s best. Travyon Bromell then competed at the Rome DL meet, finishing first, with Noah Lyles still recuperating. By the time Lyles finally opened his mark at the DL for 2025, his countrymen had lost two consecutive races.

Lyles debuted in the Monaco DL and ensured they wouldn’t miss out on the podium again. He went on to win one gold and three silvers, with Kenneth Bednarek the only other American to make the 100m or 200m podium before the DL final. He capped off the season by winning the 200m title at the 2025 Wanda Diamond League Final in Zürich, clocking 19.74 seconds. Lyles secured his record-breaking sixth career Diamond League Trophy by defeating Olympic champion Letsile Tebogo.

In 2026, Lyles is taking time off for his wedding and only slowly making his way back into the season. His compatriots are struggling to keep pace with Ferdinand Omanyala and Gift Leotlela for now, with Lyles only confirmed to return for meet 4 in Rome.

That will be his first DL meet of the season, and he’ll then race again in the Paris DL. Those races will be tough, though, given the impeccable form that Ferdinand Omanyala has shown this season. After all, the Kenyan has focused on being consistent in 2026, and so far, he’s been on track.

Ferdinand Omanyala’s focus is on consistency for 2026

The Xiamen DL win marked the continuation of a remarkable season for the 30-year-old sprint star. After all, the Kenyan has been on an absolute tear in 2026, flying past competitors at will. To put that in perspective, the Shanghai DL marked only the third time he hadn’t finished first in eight races.

In fact, since he made his outdoor season debut, Ferdinand Omanyala hasn’t finished outside a podium spot. That includes multiple wins at the Addis Ababa Grand Prix, as well as third-place finishes at the Botswana Grand Prix and the World Athletics Relays. He also opened his outdoor season with a 10.19-second race in the 100m during the Cape Continental Tour before breaking sub-10 a few weeks later.

At Addis Ababa, Omanyala won with 9.98, then dropped to 9.96 at Kip Keino and 9.95 at Botswana Grand Prix. So much so that going into the 100m DL meet in Xiamen, the Kenyan has already clocked four sub-10 performances.

Now his time in the Xiamen DL makes it five, and it’s also his season-best time, marking yet another impressive performance from Africa’s fastest man.

“I ran under 10, and I was satisfied,” Omanyala said as per Pulse Sport. “The result is good, and we move on from there. I’m used to competing, so it was a good run. Before the race, I had an expectation to run under 10, and now that I have achieved that, I hope to keep the performance consistent in the next race in Xiamen.”

Omanyala isn’t waiting for Lyles to show up; instead, he’s making the case that it won’t matter when he does. Rome will tell a different story, or confirm that America’s sprint dominance left with its biggest star.