Nairobi — African record holder Ferdinand Omanyala’s chaotic World Championships journey ended in the semi-finals, just like his maiden Olympic Games did last year, after finishing fifth in the 100m semis early Sunday morning.
Omanyala’s debut at the biennial championship had been marred with chaos, having arrived in Oregon just three hours to his Heats on Saturday morning and having less than 24 hours to recover for the semi-finals due to late visa issuance.
He clocked 10.14secs to finish fifth in the semis, slower than the Heats on Saturday morning when he clocked 10.10secs to finish third.
His semi-final heat was won by Jamaican Oblique Seville who dropped another sub-10 timing, clocking 9.90secs ahead of Mervin Brecy who clocked 9.93secs.
Olympic champion Marcel Jacobs pulled out of the Heat with injury.
“Every challenge you face today makes you stronger tomorrow. The challenge of life is intended to make you better, not bitter. Persistence and resilience only come from having been given the chance to work through difficult problems,” Omanyala posted on his socials.
He added; “No matter how much falls on us, we keep moving.