World silver medalist Daniel Ebenyo saw his hopes of making the Commonwealth Games team come to a painful end on Friday during the Kenya National Championships and Commonwealth Games Trials at Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi.
A distraught Ebenyo suffered two falls during the men’s 10,000m final, with the second leaving him nursing an arm injury and unable to contest for a qualifying position.
“I’m so sad. Whatever has happened today, falling twice in the race and injuring my arm, has crushed my Commonwealth dreams,” Ebenyo said after the race.
It was a difficult day in the office for one of Kenya’s finest distance runners and a World Championships silver medalist, who began his 2026 season on January 10 with a bronze medal at the World Athletics Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee, Florida, where he also helped Team Kenya secure team silver.
On February 14, he headlined the senior men’s race at the Sirikwa Classic Cross Country Tour in Eldoret, competing on the Gold Series and finishing fifth. On March 15, he competed at the United Airlines NYC Half Marathon, where he placed 13th.
On May 25, he won silver at the Boulder 10km road race in Colorado, USA, before going on to win and set a course record at the Chicago Half Marathon on June 7, clocking 1:00:39.
The injury suffered at Nyayo on Friday is expected to be a setback in what has already been a season of mixed results and emotions. The Kenyan athletics fraternity has wished him a quick recovery.