Kenyan sprint king Ferdinand Omanyala has confirmed that he will not compete at the upcoming 2025 Diamond League in Zurich, Switzerland, owing to injury.
The finals of the Wanda Diamond League, slated for August 27-28, will be held at Zurich's Sechseläutenplatz and Letzigrund Stadium, bringing together the world's best athletes across track and field events.
Omanyala announced the decision on Monday in a statement on X, ending hopes of a much-anticipated showdown with some of the world's best sprinters, including Noah Lyles and Letsile Tebogo, among other sprinters.
"Due to recent hip, iliopsoas, and gluteal pain experienced over the past few weeks, I regret to inform you that I will be unable to participate in the Diamond League Finals 2025," the statement reads.
However, Omanyala expressed optimism that he will have recovered in time for the World Athletics Championship, scheduled for September 13-21, in Tokyo, Japan. Omanyala has been named in Kenya's provisional squad for the tournament.
"I am optimistic about my recovery and anticipate being fully fit for Tokyo," he said.
The injury setback comes after a challenging Diamond League season for the 29-year-old. He began his campaign in April in Xiamen, China, finishing second with 10.13 seconds before slipping to ninth in Keqiao with 10.20.
He recovered in Rabat with a 10.05-second run for second place and continued with a 10.01-second third-place finish in Rome. He similarly came in third at the Kip Keino Classic in Nairobi on April 20, where he clocked 10.07 seconds.
Two weeks ago, Omanyala similarly clocked a time of 10.03s (0.5) to win the men's 100m at the International Josko Laufmeeting in Andorf, Austria.
Omanyala has featured prominently in World Athletics' official "Fastest 100m of the Past 10 Years" list, ranking seventh overall and first in Africa with his Kenyan national record of 9.77 seconds set in Nairobi in 2021. That time remains the fastest ever run on African soil.
