Ferdinand Omanyala Makes Oregon 100m Semi Finals

Kenyans congratulated him on social media for his efforts, despite the short time between arriving in the American nation and competing in the race.

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Jul 16, 2022 - 08:28 Updated: Sep 2, 2023 - 22:17
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Ferdinand Omanyala Makes Oregon 100m Semi Finals
Ferdinand Omanyala celebrates after winning the 100m at the Kip Keino Classic on May 7, 2022. /CAPITAL SPORTS

Africa's fastest man, Ferdinand Omanyala, made it to the semi-finals of the 100 metres sprints at the 2022 World Championships in Oregon, USA.

He finished third with a time of 10:10 seconds in heat seven of the races, which was won by Japanese Abdul Hakim (9:98) and Edward Osei Nketia of New Zealand (10:08).

The race took place at 4.30 am. Omanyala put up a spirited fight despite arriving at the championships just hours before the race.

Ferdinand Omanyala during the World Championships in Oregon, USA on July 16, 2022. 

He had just three hours to clear with customs and warm up for the race after he got his visa to travel to the US following the visa saga that ignited a nationwide uproar.

Kenyans congratulated him on social media for his efforts, despite the short time between arriving in the American nation and competing in the race.

"Ferdinand Omanyala finishes third in 10.10 seconds in heat 7 of the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Oregon, US to ensure qualification for the 100m semi-final.

"The semis start at 4 AM tomorrow with the final at 5:50 AM. Where there is a will there is a way," wrote broadcast sports journalist Elijah Ouko.

"Omanyala arrived at the track about two hours before his 100 M race. He was placed in the seventh of seven heats, buying him some extra time to stretch out.

"He finished third in his heat, which was good enough to move him through to the semis," Franklin Waruhiu added.

The semi-finals will take place on Sunday, July 17 and he has a chance to progress to the final. Omanyala becomes the first Kenyan to go past heats in both the World Championships and the Olympics.

Faith Kipyegon, also of Team Kenya, also qualified for the 1500m semi-finals after finishing second in the women's race.

Logistics in the issuance of a US visa to Omanyala had delayed his travel with the Kenyan team to the US on Tuesday night, July 12. Matters became worse when he was thought to have been locked out of the championships over the delay, which led to an uproar that spilt to some parts of the world.

Kenyans had urged the US Embassy and the Kenyan government to intervene in the matter, and they eventually did.

"Visa challenges are faced by all Kenyans and people daily, in this case, I was no different. First, I would like to thank God, that the President of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta, and Sports CS Amina Mohamed have been at the forefront in ensuring I get my visa.

"Thank you to the US Embassy in Kenya for granting me my VISA. I will also be competing in the commonwealth games in Birmingham on Thursday, July 28. Looking forward to making all Kenyans proud," Omanyala stated after getting his visa.

Watch how the race went down:

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