Ferdinand Omanyala Set to Launch 2026 Season in France

Africa's fastest man, Ferdinand Omanyala, will launch his 2026 season at the World Athletics Indoor Tour event in Miramas, France, on Friday, January 30.

Organisers of the Meeting Miramas confirmed Omanyala's participation on social media, celebrating the return of the "African sprint icon" who is expected to electrify the Miramas Metropole arena once again.

"The king of African sprint will be in Miramas in 2026! We are pleased to announce the presence of Ferdinand Omanyala, record holder of the Miramas meeting, for a new edition that promises to be incredible," the announcement read.

"Africa’s fastest man returns to the stadium Miramas Metropole to defend his status. And why not drop a historic timeline?"

The French indoor meet holds a special place in Omanyala's career. In 2024, he delivered a career-defining performance at the event, clocking 6.62 seconds in his heat before storming to victory in the final with a time of 6.52 seconds.

This performance not only shattered his personal best but also established a new Kenyan national record, cementing his status as a formidable indoor sprinter.

The return to Miramas will allow Ferdinand Omanyala to start his 2026 season on a strong footing after a mixed 2025 campaign that showed promise but ultimately fell short of his high expectations.

In 2025, Ferdinand Omanyala skipped the indoor tour, kickstarting his 2025 season at the Athletics Kenya weekend meet in Thika.

Ferdinand Omanyala then competed in a series of races before heading to the Botswana Golden Grand Prix, where he narrowly missed the sub-10-second barrier, finishing second in 10.00 seconds.

His Diamond League season was also inconsistent, with a second-place finish in Xiamen (10.13), seventh in Shanghai (10.25), and third in Rome (10.01). His struggles continued with an eighth-place finish at the Gyulai István Memorial (10.26) and seventh in Brussels (10.49).

Meanwhile, Ferdinand Omanyala was instrumental in helping Kenya's 4x100m relay team qualify for the World Championships for the first time in decades at the World Relays in Guangzhou.

He also set new Kenyan and African records in the rarely contested 150m at the Atlanta City Games, finishing in a blistering 14.70 seconds.

At the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan, Ferdinand Omanyala failed to make the men’s 100m final after finishing fifth in the semifinal.