Ferdinand Omanyala is optimistic he will compete in the world athletics Championships despite visa delay.
Kenyan Athlete Ferdinand Omanyala is positive he will compete in the world athletics championships in Eugene, Oregon despite delay in his visa to travel to the USA, less than 24 hours before the event.
Omanyala, who is on the entry list for the 100 metres, 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, announced on Twitter. “Am positive that I will compete.”
According to spokesperson for Omanyala, he told the media 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 added 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.
It was reported by BBC that 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.
The Kenyan athlete set the African men’s 100 metres 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.
He said he will also be taking part at the Commonwealth Games, which will be held in Birmingham from July 28.
