So Many Things Going on at Home - Ferdinand Omanyala Explains Surprise Indoor Season Snub

So Many Things Going on at Home - Ferdinand Omanyala Explains Surprise Indoor Season Snub

Abigael Wafula 12:15 - 18.05.2025

Ferdinand Omanyala took a different approach to his 2025 season, stepping away from the indoor tour to focus on bigger goals ahead.

Ferdinand Omanyala made a bold move for the 2025 season, skipping the indoor tour and has opened up about the main reason behind that.

Since the 2022 season, Ferdinand Omanyala has consistently shown up for the indoor races, and the reason for withdrawing in the 2025 season raised eyebrows.

The Commonwealth Games champion made his World Indoor debut in 2022 but failed to make the final of the 60m.

PAY ATTENTION: Stay updated with the Latest Sports News in Kenya from Pulse Sports

Ferdinand Omanyala skipped the World Indoor Championships in 2023 before narrowly missing out on the podium in the 2024 edition of the event with a fourth-place finish.

Ferdinand Omanyala: Personal Reasons Forced Me to Skip Indoor Tour

Ferdinand Omanyala
Ferdinand Omanyala

Ferdinand Omanyala revealed that he was handling a series of issues that forced him out of the indoor campaign.

Speaking after winning the 150m in an African record time of 14.70 seconds at the Atlanta City Games, Ferdinand Omanyala revealed that he opted to use that time to prepare for the outdoor season.

“I missed the indoors because of personal reasons. I had so many things that were going on at home, so I couldn't manage. That's why we decided to sit it out and just take a longer preparation towards the outdoors,” Ferdinand Omanyala revealed after the race.

Ferdinand Omanyala: My Coaches Told me to Just Get Out of the Blocks so fast

Ferdinand Omanyala
Ferdinand Omanyala

Speaking about the decision to compete in the 150m, an unusual distance, Ferdinand Omanyala noted that it is a long season, and he just wanted to get the endurance to keep him going until September.

Ferdinand Omanyala pointed out that the main focus will be on the World Championships in Tokyo, Japan and the races at the moment are just to keep him in great shape.

He just heeded to his coaches’ advice, revealing that being a front runner made it easier for him to win the race in style.

“We knew we would have done a couple of 100m by now, so the 150 just sets us up for the longer season ahead. It went great, so we just like building it up slowly because we are just like the second or third month of the season, we're just building it up,” Ferdinand Omanyala said.

“My coaches told me to just get out of the block so fast, and that's what I did, and you know the momentum just kept pushing me on, and of course, being a front runner, I just kept pushing to the line.”

Ferdinand Omanyala has so far had a mixed season, impressing in some races while posting dismal results in others.

He finished second behind Akani Simbine at the Botswana Golden Grand Prix and Diamond League Meeting in Xiamen before being vital in Team Kenya’s men’s 4x100m relay team qualification to the World Championships.