Africa’s Fastest Man Optimistic Of Competing At World Championships
Africa’s fastest man, Ferdinand Omanyala of Kenya, said he is “positive” that he will compete at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon, despite receiving his visa to travel to the USA less than 24 hours before the event.
Omanyala, who is on the entry list for the 100m event, initially announced that he would not take part because of a delay in getting a visa.
“Onto the next flight to Oregon,” Omanyala, who will travel from Nairobi, said on Twitter. “Am positive that I will compete.”
A spokesperson for Omanyala said that the Kenyan sprinter will arrive about three hours before his 100m heat on Friday, which is around 1900 local time in Eugene. The spokesperson said that the delay in getting the visa was likely due to the significant backlog of cases resulting from closures due to COVID-19.
“Visa challenges are faced by all Kenyans and people daily, in this case I was no different,” Omanyala added.
Athletics Kenya executive member Barnabas Korir is holding talks with World Athletics about the possibility of staging a solo heat if Omanyala does not arrive on time.
Omanyala set the African men’s 100m record after clocking a time of 9.77 seconds at the Kip Keino Classic meeting in Nairobi in September 2021.
The 26-year-old won the African 100m title last month and was the first Kenyan to qualify for the Olympic 100m semi-finals in Tokyo last year. Omanyala said he will also be taking part at the Commonwealth Games, which will be held in Birmingham from July 28.
Chidi Nwoke/Reuters.
