Akani Simbine stretched his unbeaten 100m record to five international meets as he won his third Diamond League contest of the season in Rabat on Sunday night.

His pace over the final 30 or so metres was too much for the field as he streaked to an easy win, clocking 9.95sec ahead of Kenyan Ferdinand Omanyala (10.05) and Olympic bronze medallist Fred Kerley of the US (10.07).

Kerley had edged fourth-placed Simbine by one-hundredth of a second at the Paris Olympics last year, but on Sunday nobody had the gas to halt high-flying Simbine, who has registered a perfect start to the year with victories in Botswana, two in China and one in the US.

This was also the 12th Diamond League meet victory of the 31-year-old’s career, which drew him level with high-jump legend Hestrie Cloete and pushed him one ahead of Wayde van Niekerk, who ended fifth in the 200m later in the meet.

Caster Semenya has the most Diamond League event wins of any South African with 21.

“I feel great, I feel confident,” Simbine was quoted as saying on the meet website. “I am happy that I could take the win today and that I can finish this month strong and healthy.

“Another sub-10 in the bag, so slowly we go down in time which is really great. I am looking forward to the rest of the season and go back to training in Italy to get ready for the next Diamond League,” added Simbine, the 60m bronze medallist at the world indoor championships in China in March.

The main goal is the world championships in Tokyo in September where Simbine is aiming to land the first global 100m medal of his career, having finished fourth and fifth on no fewer than six occasions since 2016.

His countryman and 4x100m Olympic silver teammate in France, Shaun Maswanganyi, ended sixth in a season’s best 10.19.

World indoor champion Prudence Sekgodiso had to settle for second in the women’s 800m, but her 1min 57.52sec effort was still the second-fastest time of her career and lifted her to second on the world list.

Sekgodiso went into the home straight on Tsige Duguma’s shoulder, but she just couldn’t close the gap, measured at one-tenth of a second.

Zakithi Nene ran a superb 400m race, going into the home straight with a clear lead before he tired over the final 10 metres to finish second behind American Jacory Patterson, the only man to have gone under 44 seconds so far this year.

Patterson hit the line first in 44.37 with the South African following in 44.46, the second-best time of his career.

Van Niekerk clocked 20.26 in a 200m missing Olympic champion Letsile Tebogo of Botswana who withdrew after showing discomfort in the 100m. American Courtney Lindsey won in 20.04. Van Niekerk was just 0.03 off his fastest post-injury time, set last year.

Compatriot Benjamin Richardson, who beat Van Niekerk at the national championships last year, ended seventh in 20.49.

Olympic silver medallist Jo-Ane du Plessis was fifth in the women’s javelin after a best effort of 59.25m.

Zeney Geldenhuys was fifth in the women’s 400m hurdles, clocking 55.37 to finish fifth in a race won by Dutch star Femke Bol in 52.46. Rogail Joseph was last in 57.91.

Tshepo Tshite battled near the back of the field before finishing the 1,500m in 3:36.22.