He planned to fly Thursday evening and hopes to reach Eugene in Oregon in time to be at the start of his competition which begins Friday evening with the playoffs.

Omanyala experienced the equivalent of a false start.

Early Thursday morning, he announced to AFP that he had to give up the World Championships because he had not received his visa for the United States in time.

"Even if I get a visa today, it's too late", explained the third best performer of the year in the 100m with his 9 sec 85/100e achieved in May, behind the Americans Fred Kerley and Trayvon Bromell .

Kenyan sprinter Ferdinand Omanyala wins the 100m ahead of Liberian Emmanuel Matadi (d) and Italian Filippo Tortu, during the World Athletics Continental Tour, May 7, 2022 in Nairobi TONY KARUMBA AFP / Archives

"It would mean taking night flights and my competition starts (Friday). It's over. There's nothing I can do," he added.

Omanyala, 26, quickly made up his mind and even began to plan for his next big event of the year, the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham from July 28 to August 8.

"I accept the situation (...) I will watch the races (Worlds) in Oregon, I hope it will go better for me at the next World Championships in Budapest in 2023", he explained.

"A few hours to rest"

Three hours later, a dramatic turn of events: his trainer announces that his protege has obtained his visa and will take part in Eugene's big meeting.

"Omanyala was called to the Department of Sports this (Thursday) morning and received the visa to travel. He should take the flight this (Thursday) evening to arrive in Oregon tomorrow morning," Duncan told AFP. Ayiemba.

According to his coach, Omanyala could make it in time for his first race, with the 100m heats starting Friday at 6:50 p.m. local time (Saturday 01:50 GMT)

Kenyan sprinter Ferdinand Omanyala, during training, June 30, 2022 in Nairobi Tony KARUMBA AFP / Archives

"He will have a few hours to rest before competing in the 100 meter series and maybe qualify for the semi-finals and finals" which are scheduled for Saturday, said the coach.

Is this the end point of a hectic day?

Nothing is less certain, but Omanyala, who became the fastest African sprinter in history in 2021 with his 9 sec 77/100th, is used to experiencing ups and downs.

At the Tokyo Games last summer, he was the first athlete from Kenya, a country known for its long-distance runners, to reach an Olympic semi-final in the 100m.

His rise for a year has aroused astonishment, sometimes even suspicion towards an athlete suspended for 14 months in 2017 after a positive test for betamethasone, a corticosteroid.

"more complicated"

He pleads the error of youth, after having taken without checking a medicine prescribed by a doctor.

"I had a really bad back problem, my leg was numb. We went to the hospital and the doctor prescribed (medication) which turned out to be a banned substance," he explained to the AFP.

Kenyan sprinter Ferdinand Omanyala, after his victory in the 100m at the national selections for the World and Commonwealth Championships, June 25, 2022 in Nairobi training, June 30, 2022 in Nairobi Yasuyoshi CHIBA AFP / Archives

Still, Omanyala is not the only one to have encountered problems obtaining his visa for the United States.

Jamaican Gregory Prince, a 400m specialist, had to delay his departure for the United States before obtaining his visa, according to the Jamaican daily The Gleaner.

Ten South African athletes, including sprinter Gift Leotlela, had to wait until Thursday in Italy to obtain their visas and be able to fly to the United States.

"The last few weeks before Worlds were frustrating, but we finally got out, even if it means some of us will arrive (in Eugene) on the day of our race," Leotlela, semi-finalist, explained on Instagram. in the 100m at the Tokyo Olympics.

The organizers of the Worlds-2022, the first organized in the United States since the creation of the event in 1983, indicated in a press release that they "were working in collaboration with the American Olympic and Paralympic Committee on the question of the attribution visas".

"Most (problems) have been resolved," they said, recalling that "international travel has become more complicated due to the pandemic," they recalled.

The pandemic, which led to the postponement of these Worlds initially scheduled for 2021 by a year, remains very present since a negative Covid test is required for each participant.

© 2022 AFP