Last Friday, Ferdinand Omanyala nearly missed the World Athletics Championships after his visa application was delayed.
Omanyala, considered the fastest man in Africa, was supposed to receive his visa on Monday and then fly the same day to allow a couple of days to help him settle in.
However, his visa arrived on Thursday morning, just a day before his race. Omanyala reported to the Washington Post that he applied for his visa the same day as his team, but most of his team received their visas the next day.
“It’s really disappointing, and I hope they do better next time. I know they are hosting the Olympics in 2028, so I really hope they learn from this and do much better next time.” Omanyala added.
Sports officials told Omanyala that he left out essential information for the visa application. Omanyala’s manager replied, “As far as I know the whole team went to the embassy at the same time. Ferdinand is accustomed to the process and definitely knows the implications of leaving out information. So, I doubt it,”
When Omanyala’s visa finally arrived on Thursday morning, he had already given up hope. He immediately flew from Nairobi to Doha, boarded his flight to Seattle, and finally flew to Eugene just 3 hours before his race.
When he arrived at Hayward field, he competed in the first-round heat, finishing at 10.10 seconds, helping him to make it to the semifinals. However, he was eliminated the next day.
Now, Omanyala plans to fly directly to England for another competition.
“I hope this time, I get there early.” said Omanyala.
Sources: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/07/15/omanyala-kenya-sprinter-us-visa-race/
Omanyala, considered the fastest man in Africa, was supposed to receive his visa on Monday and then fly the same day to allow a couple of days to help him settle in.
However, his visa arrived on Thursday morning, just a day before his race. Omanyala reported to the Washington Post that he applied for his visa the same day as his team, but most of his team received their visas the next day.
“It’s really disappointing, and I hope they do better next time. I know they are hosting the Olympics in 2028, so I really hope they learn from this and do much better next time.” Omanyala added.
Sports officials told Omanyala that he left out essential information for the visa application. Omanyala’s manager replied, “As far as I know the whole team went to the embassy at the same time. Ferdinand is accustomed to the process and definitely knows the implications of leaving out information. So, I doubt it,”
When Omanyala’s visa finally arrived on Thursday morning, he had already given up hope. He immediately flew from Nairobi to Doha, boarded his flight to Seattle, and finally flew to Eugene just 3 hours before his race.
When he arrived at Hayward field, he competed in the first-round heat, finishing at 10.10 seconds, helping him to make it to the semifinals. However, he was eliminated the next day.
Now, Omanyala plans to fly directly to England for another competition.
“I hope this time, I get there early.” said Omanyala.
Sources: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/07/15/omanyala-kenya-sprinter-us-visa-race/
