By: Kathy Wu

Ferdinanad Omanyala, 26, is Africa’s fastest man. He is also considered the 8th fastest man of all-time, having clocked 9.77 seconds for the100-meter men’s race in September 2021. Yet he had to undergo much difficulty to even compete at this week’s World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon – – all because of a visa delay.

Omanyala was supposed to fly to the United States on Monday, allowing him to prepare five days before the 100-meter race. Obviously, Omanyala knew how to assemble his game plan. However, the more important condition was to receive a U.S. visa, in which he needed to attend the competition.

Omanyala applied visas with the rest of the Kenyan team on July 7th. Many woke up the next day to have received their visas, while Omanyala, the one who needed it most, was left empty-handed. “It’s really disappointing, and I hope they do better next time,” Omanyala explained. “I know they are hosting the Olympics in 2028, so I really hope they learn from this and do much better next time.”

The visa eventually arrived Thursday, making it just in time for the race. Omanyala placed third in the first round at 10.10 seconds, which was way off from his season’s best time of 9.85 seconds. Omanyala advanced to Saturday’s semifinals, where he was eliminated with great disappointment.

After flawing to reach the finals, Omanyala declared on his visa delay, explaining that he had not placed it with incomplete information. He was bold in ordering the officials to give an explanation for this delay. Andrew Veveiros, a spokesman for the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi, wrote a WhatsApp message to the Post on Saturday, explaining how visa records are confidential by law and “therefore we cannot discuss the details of individual visa cases.”

Omanyala’s visa situation not only affected himself but athletes all across the continent, Kenya in particular, as delayed visa timelines are common. Kenyans protested that the United States were “deliberately” retaining their athlete’s visas, fearing that they would worst their American competitors. In addition, many students complained about their struggles to immigrate to the United States.

People around the world are starting to take action on equity and fairness, with peaceful protests and speeches. Who knew that the fascinating topic of track and field would shift to visa cards this quickly?

Link:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/07/15/omanyala-kenya-sprinter-us-visa-race/