Ferdinand Omanyala qualified for the semi finals in the 100 meter race in Oregon, US after a frustrating visa delays experience.
The sprinter arrived less than three hours in Oregon and participated in the final round of heats that saw him qualify for the semis.
On Saturday 4 am morning(East African Time) Omanyala raced in heat 7 and was able to scoop the third position after running for 10.10 seconds.
Japanese sprinter Abdul Hakim Sani Brown won after finishing the race at 9.98 second while Australia’s Edward Osei-Nketia came second at 10.08 seconds.
The Semis will be going down On Sunday 4am.
Meanwhile, further details have emerged regarding why Omanyala was forced to travel on Thursday evening, less than 24 hours before the Oregon Championships commenced.
According to sports journalist Mike Okinyi, Omanyala’s visa was delayed because he had messed up some details during his application. The journalist said that Omanyala submitted his marital status as single yet it is in the public domain that he has a wife and a son.
In his Twitter posts he also refuted claims that there was foul play in the list of those who were supposed to head to the US.
“Wacheni propaganda jameni. All athletes except 2 got visas in good time. Ask the two what happened:,” read one of his tweets.
Which officials? wish you knew the truth…. https://t.co/2KUtonKc7r
— @MikeOkinyi HSC (@MikeOkinyi) July 15, 2022
Okinyi was appointed a member of the steering committee for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games that are set for July 28-August 8 and the Cairo 2022 Africa Youth Games in March this year
On Friday reports emerged indicating that the ministry of sports manipulated the list of the Kenyan athletics delegation that was to head to the United States.
Athletics Kenya(AK) had submitted a list of 80 individuals only for the ministry to add 32 more individuals unknown to AK. It is alleged that the joyriders parted with up to Kshs 2 million to be included in the trip to Oregon at the expense of the athletes and AK officials.
The joy riders were awarded the first slots that saw them jet out of the country on Friday last week to avoid any suspicions from the US embassy that was issuing visas while Omanyala along with some of his colleagues and AK officials got the last slots and were to leave the country mid this week. US Embassy officials got suspicious on the excess number of delegation thus withholding visas including that of Omanyala, who holds the record of fastest man in Africa.
DCI has however launched an investigation into the matter to establish the reason behind Omanyala’s visa delays that almost saw him miss out on the Oregon competition.
“It definitely shocks me. This is a disgrace not only to the nation but to the entire globe, and we will not allow it,” DCI boss George Kinoti said.
RELATED STORY:Revealed: Shocking Reason Why Omanyala Was Handed His UK, US Visas In The Last Minute
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