Ferdinand Omanyala speaks after World Championships exit
Ferdinand Omanyala of Team Kenya and Oblique Seville of Team Jamaica compete in the Men’s 100 Meter Semi-Final on day two of the World Athletics Championships Oregon22 at Hayward Field on July 16, 2022 in Eugene, Oregon.
What you need to know:
- Omanyala left the country on Thursday at 6pm for a five-hour flight to Doha before embarking on his longest ever journey of 17 hours to Seattle, United States.
- He would then board another one-and-half hours flight to Eugene where he arrived at 2.30am on Saturday ready for the heats that got underway at 4.50am.
After his mission at the World Athletics Championships in Oregon, United States, proved impossible, Africa's fastest Ferdinand Omanyala man turns his focus to the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England.
The “Club” Games will run from July 28 to August 8 in the British city.
Ferdinand Omanyala, the Africa 100 metres champion, was out to make history at the ongoing world event by becoming the first African to win a medal, but failure to get a visa on time saw him arrive for the event late and fatigued.
Nevertheless, Omanyala, who holds the Africa 200m record, overcame all the adversities to reach Oregon before cruising to the semi-final of the 100m, making him the first Kenyan to achieve the feat.
Omanyala failed to make it to the final of the race on Sunday morning when he clocked 10.14 seconds to finish fifth in his heat.
Jamaica's Oblique Seville won the heat in 9.90 ahead of America's Marvin Bracy (9.93) while Canada's Aaron Brown scooped one of the non-automatic qualifying spots with 10.06.
Omanyala had arrived in Oregon less than three hours to his race after a delayed Visa forced him to leave the country Thursday night for the championships.
Olympic champion Marcell Jacobs, who was set to race against Omanyala in the third heat, withdrew from the 100m semi-finals with a thigh injury hours before the showdown.
Ultimately, Americans Trayvonn Brommell, Marvin Bracy, Fred Kerley and Christian Coleman made the final with South Africa's former African champion Akani Simbine also set to return for the gold medal contest.
Kerley, in lane four, was down on Marvin Bracy for 95 metres of the tight race, but managed to out dip his teammate for victory in 9.86 seconds at Eugene's Hayward Field.
Bracy took silver in 9.88sec, Trayvon Bromell claiming bronze in the same time for a third-ever 100m world championship cleansweep for the United States after 1983 and 1991.
Omanyala said that he tried to push himself in the semi-final but his body failed to react promptly. “But I have no regrets, just a lesson,” said Omanyala, indicating that it was definitely worth competing in Oregon.
“At least I got to the semi-finals and I hope to do better. I have the Commonwealth Games in two weeks so I believe I will do much better there," said Omanyala, who will be out to wrestle the Commonwealth Games 100m title from Akani Simbine.
Omanyala said that every challenge someone face today leaves them 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 explained that no matter what falls on us, we must keep ploughing ahead. “That’s the only way to keep the roads clear,” said the 26-year-old Omanyala, who beat Simbine last month in Mauritius to take the Africa 100m title from him.
Simbine, the only African in the final, finished fifth in 10.01, behind Jamaican Oblique Seville in 9.97.
