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Fastest man in Africa Ferdinand Omanyala made easy work of the field in his first outdoor competitive race of the season outside the country, as he won the 100m final at the Athletics South Africa Grand Prix 1 in Pretoria on Wednesday night.

Omanyala who is also the African record holder, clocked 10.12secs to win, beating a host of South African athletes on home soil again to put a positive start to his outdoor season.

“A win is always a win. In anything you celebrate. We really wanted to do a sub-10. Every race counts but on to the next. We hope it will be faster. Still targeting a sub 10 in the next race,” Omanyala said after the race.

Compatriot Samwel Imeta finished fourth in a time of 10.39secs while South Africans Benjamin Richardson (10.22) and Rivaldo Roberts (10.34) were second and third respectively.

The ‘Beast from the East’, as the commentators referred to him had a little blip off the blocks, but he made that up with his usual powerful surge in the final 50m to win the race.

He now focuses on the second Grand Prix in South Africa next week, where he hopes to clock a faster time.

Meanwhile, Mo Farah finished seventh in 30 minutes and 41 seconds in the Port-Gentil 10km in Gabon, 15 days before the London Marathon.

Four-time Olympic champion Farah, 40, has been training in Ethiopia in preparation for the marathon on 23 April.

He announced in January that he expects 2023 to be his final year of racing before retirement.

Kenya’s Vincent Kipkemoi won in Gabon in 28 minutes and 11 seconds.

Farah missed the 2022 London Marathon with a hip injury and this year’s event will be his first full marathon since 2019.

It is expected to be the Briton’s final London Marathon appearance and he will be up against four of the five fastest marathon runners in history, including Kenya’s Kenenisa Bekele.

The 2023 London Marathon will be broadcast live on BBC TV, iPlayer and online.