2022 Commonwealth Games champion Ferdinand Omanyala has revealed that he will spend the next six weeks recovering from a stress fracture in his left heel before returning to training, effectively bringing his 2026 season to an early end.Omanyala confirmed that he will miss the Diamond League Meeting Final in Brussels, scheduled for 4-5 September, as well as the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship, which will be held from 11-12 September.Download our Mozzart Sport app for more newsThe Commonwealth Games champion is now focused on recovering fully from the injury after medical tests in France, with his return to training expected in approximately six weeks.“I’ve just started the recovery process. Today is day one. We’ve just had a check-up with our medical doctors in France, and I’ve been advised to take about six weeks before I start training again. So, my timeline for returning to training is six weeks,” Omanyala told Mozzart Sport.His withdrawal makes him the third high-profile Kenyan athlete to miss the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship.Ferdinand Omanyala announces premature end to his 2026 seasonHe joins multiple Olympic and world champion Faith Kipyegon, who withdrew several weeks ago after picking up an injury, and reigning 800m world champion Lilian Odira, who will also be absent from Kenya’s team.Omanyala’s injury brings the curtain down on what had initially been one of the most promising seasons of his career.##NAJAVA_MECA_9930179##He spectacularly opened his outdoor campaign in April, winning the Addis Ababa Grand Prix in 9.98 seconds, before following it up with another victory at the Absa Kip Keino Classic in Nairobi, where he clocked 9.96.He continued his impressive run in May, helping Kenya’s men’s 4x100m relay team set a new national record of 38.27 seconds at the World Athletics Relays in Nassau, Bahamas.Omanyala then maintained his momentum on the elite global circuit, finishing third at the Botswana Golden Grand Prix in 9.95 seconds.Jakob Ingebrigtsen set for sensational return at Ultimate ChampionshipHis biggest individual breakthrough of the season came in Asia, where he narrowly finished second at the Xiamen Diamond League in 9.98, before bouncing back to win the Shanghai Diamond League in 9.94.The Shanghai victory marked his fifth consecutive sub-10-second performance to start the outdoor season, underlining the consistency he had built during the opening months of the campaign.However, the demanding schedule eventually began to take a toll.Date set for second edition of Meru University Mt. Kenya runHis sub-10 streak ended at the Rome Diamond League, where he finished eighth in 10.11 seconds. He later clocked 10.02 to finish sixth in Paris, although it was subsequently established that he had been competing with a developing stress fracture in his left heel.The injury also affected his Commonwealth Games title defence. Omanyala finished sixth in his semifinal heat in 10.19 seconds, ending his hopes of retaining the title.With his season now over, the Kenyan sprinter is looking ahead to 2027, and expects to have an extended preparation period before returning to competition.##NAJAVA_MECA_9930312##“It will be a long preseason because next year’s main championship is the World Championships in September, and I’m not sure whether I’ll compete indoors. If I don’t, my first competition will probably be in April or May next year. That gives us about eight months of preseason,” he explained.Rather than rushing his return, Omanyala is keen to use the extended break to ensure his body is fully prepared for another demanding campaign.“The biggest lesson from this season is that my body is capable of doing anything,” he said.Mutiso, Chepkirui targeting repeat at this year's Great North Run
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