Ashe, Omanyala tipped to qualify for 100m final

Nigeria’s fastest man Favour Ashe and African record holder, Kenya’s Ferdinand Omanyala have been tipped to pick the two automatic tickets on offer for the final of the 100m event from their semifinal heat.

Both Ashe and Omanyala won their respective first round heats on Tuesday, the opening day of the track and field event at the Alexander stadium to book their spots in the semifinals.

The Nigerian and the Kenyan could not advance beyond the semifinals at the World Athletics championships in Oregon, USA last month and both will fancy their chances of making their first Commonwealth Games 100m final.

Also hoping to make the finals of the blue ribband event on their debut are Godson Brume who secured his semifinal ticket as one of the best non-automatic qualifiers and reigning African Games speed king, Raymond Ekevwo.

Brume has been drawn in the first semifinal and will battle the two automatic tickets on offer with the defending champion, Akani Simbine of South Africa, Conroy Jones of Jamaica and Ojie Edoburun of England.

Ekevwo will be running in the third semifinal and has Ghana’s Benjamin Azamati as one of the major obstacles he will need to surmount to get to his first 100m final at the Games.

The first two in each of the three semifinal heats and two fastest losers (non-automatic qualifiers) will qualify for the final which holds later Wednesday evening at the Alexander stadium.