Ferdinand Omanyala heading to the World Champs, finally

• Omanyala was among only two Kenyan athletes yet to get their visa
• He will arrive in Eugene two hours and 40 minutes to his race
• Omanyala is the third fastest man in the 100m this year.

African record holder Ferdinand Omanyala has finally secured a visa to the USA and will be on a Thursday, 6pm flight to Eugene, United States.

Omanyala will arrive at 4pm local time, just two hours, 40 minutes before lining up in the heats of the 100m.

Omanyala was facing the possibility of missing out on his debut at the World Championships due to a visa hitch, but after intervention by Athletics Kenya and the government, he finally got the travel document and was immediately put on the next available flight to Eugene.

“It is a huge relief because I was staring at the possibility of having my dream crushed. I had worked so hard to be at the World Champs and to see that I would not travel was a huge frustration for me. But now I can breathe and I want to thank everyone who has been involved to get this done,” Omanyala told SportsLeo.

As at 11am, Omanyala had virtually given up on travelling to the United States with no success in sight and no word yet for his visa.

But a last minute push, coupled with Kenyans clamoring for him on social media made it a success.

He arrives just two hours, 40 minutes before the heats and he has stated he will give his best.

“It is a challenge of course but I love pressure. I thrive under pressure. I will be there and give everything to finish well. I will hopefully recover from the long travel quick enough to be able to succeed,” said Omanyala.

Omanyala is the third fastest man in the world this year, having clocked 9.85secs to win the Kip Keino Classic in May.

At the World Champs, he admits it is going to be tough as he faces two of the fastest men this year, led by American Fred Kerley who timed 9.76secs for a World Lead at the USA Trials last month.

He expects stiff competition, but is always optimistic he can do his best.