By: Efran Zhao
Ferdinand Omanyala, also known as Africa’s fastest man, nearly missed World Athletics
Championships, held in Eugene, Oregon, due to a visa delay. The Kenyan sprinter made it to
Hayward Field with less than two hours to spare before the races began.
Omanyala finished his first-round heat in third place, with 10.10 seconds, just enough for
him to qualify for the semifinals, where he was later eliminated. “I never knew I was tired until I ran that race,” said Omanyala. “It was disappointing [the visa issues]. But you have to put the challenges aside. You have to come here and run.”
After finally receiving his visa on Thursday, he immediately took a five-hour flight to Doha,
Qatar, a six-hour layover, then a 14-hour flight to Seattle, a three-hour layover, and finally a one-hour flight to Eugene, finally arriving at Hayward Field 95 minutes before heats began. “I had already given up coming here,” he said. “I was supposed to run on Friday. God works miracles.”
He stated that he had applied for the visa with the rest of his Kenyan teammates on July 7,
but his visa never showed up, for untold reasons.
Kenyan sports officials finally stated Omanyala had failed to disclose some information on
his visa application, which contributed to the delay. But his manager, Marcel Viljoen, said that he was skeptical about this information. “Ferdinand is accustomed to the process and definitely knows the implications of leaving out information. So, I doubt it.”
This delay drew widespread attention all acrossacross Africa, particularly amongst those who
had also been experiencing the same situation. According to the State Department’s Bureau of Consular Affairs, the average wait time for a U.S. visitor visa appointment more than 3.5 times the average wait time for a U.S. traveler visa in London.
Many Kenyans posted about their own setbacks as well as claims that the United States was
purposefully withholding their visas, afraid they would defeat the American competitors. “It’s really disappointing, and I hope they do better next time,” Omanyala said. “I know they are hosting the Olympics in 2028, so I really hope they learn from this and do much better next time.”
Links:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/07/15/omanyala-kenya-sprinter-us-visa-race/