By Grace Goulding.
@GalloImages.
Gift Leotlela stunned a deep 100m field at the 2026 Diamond League opener in Shanghai, People’s Republic of China, posting a time of 9.97 seconds on Saturday (16 May).
The race was so tight that the top three were left waiting for confirmation at the line, with victory decided by mere hundredths of a second. In the end, it was Leotlela who out-leaned the rest of the field in a photo finish to secure the win.
Kenya’s Ferdinand Omanyala finished second in 9.98 after replacing Kishane Thompson late in the line-up, while U.S. sprint double threat Kenny Badnarek also clocked 9.98 for third.
USA’s Trayvon Bromell, who had a strong start to the race, and Australian rising star Lachlan Kennedy both followed in 10.01, with South Africa’s Akani Simbine sixth in 10.05.
Botswana’s Olympic 200m champion, Letsile Tebogo, finished seventh in 10.12 after mixing 100m and 400m racing early this season, while home favourite and four-time Olympian Xie Zhenye opened his outdoor campaign in front of the Chinese crowd with 10.27.
Leotlela, who carried a 9.87 personal best into the meet and already had six legal sub-10 performances to his name, adds one more after his season’s best performance today.
“It means a lot to win my first-ever Diamond League,” said the South African afterwards. “It is a first time in China for me, so to finish number one was a great feeling. I wanted to come here and enjoy myself and make a good start to the season.”
“I knew I am in great shape, but I didn’t want to think about time, just focus on my race. I had a decent start, not great. I just tried to keep my composure, stay in my rhythm and stay strong.”
Leotlela also made his ambitions for the rest of the season clear, adding: “The main goal for me in 2026 is to win the Commonwealth Games and then on to the Ultimate Championships at the end of the season.”