Nairobi — African record holder Ferdinand Omanyala is a worried man as he is yet to receive his visa to the United States, two days before he takes to the track for his first race at the World Athletics Championship in Oregon.
Omanyala is still in the country with a huge number of athletes having already departed and he is worried that he is facing another race of his life, to get a visa for his first ever World Championship appearance.
“I have remained with the TM and we are still waiting to hear from them. They told us they would be calling us and so it is just a matter of time. Of course it is worrying because my first race is on Friday and this is a long flight,” Omanyala told Capital Sport.
He adds; “It takes almost 22 hours to get there and as a sportsman you need sometime to rest and also train a bit to shake the jet lag. Looking at all circumstances and my first race being on Friday, I am just hoping I can leave today (Wednesday) so that I get there Thursday night and rest up a bit.”
The Kenyan 26-year old qualified for the World Championships early after clocking 9/85secs to win the Kip Keino Classic. At the National Trials, he clocked 10.04secs under heavy wind, but still ran within the qualifying time.
He is hopeful that he will be able to get his visa on time and travel to chase his dream of a World Championship medal.
“I will still remain focused. These are challenges that as an athlete you need mental strength to overcome. Hopefully I get there and put on a show as always,” he added.
Omanyala had said he targets to reach the final at the World Championships and vie for any medal, having reached the semis of both the Olympic Games and the World Indoor Championships earlier this year.
The preliminaries of the 100m start on Friday at 12:30pm and the Kenyan is on a race against time to ensure he gets his visa on time and travels.