Kenyan sprinter's travel nightmare nearly caused him to miss worlds. He reached semis anyway.
EUGENE, Ore. — Kenya’s Ferdinand Omanyala started Friday with a marathon and ended with a sprint as the Kenyan runner needed three flights totaling more than 20 hours to get to Eugene, Oregon, in time to race in the last heat of the 100 meters at the track and field world championships.
Omanyala finished third in his heat in 10.10 seconds, advancing to the semifinals, which start early Saturday evening. The 100-meter final is the last event Saturday night.
Omanyala’s trip would have sidelined most people: He did not obtain his visa until Thursday morning in Kenya, then faced a five-hour flight to Doha, Qatar, six-hour layover, 14-hour flight to Seattle, three-hour layover and finally, a one-hour flight to Eugene. He landed around 4:15 p.m. local time and was immediately ferried to Hayward Field, where he arrived by 5 p.m. Heats started at 6:50.
“I never knew I was tired until I ran that race,” Omanyala said, laughing. He said he did not run up and down airplane aisles to stay loose, but acknowledged that his seat in business class helped him doze. “I don’t think I could have done that in economy.”
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As Omanyala spoke to the media afterward, Liemarvin Bonevacia from the Netherlands ran by and jostled him playfully while shouting, “Hero! 100 meters for the people!” Omanyala laughed, and said he felt “elevated” when the Hayward Field crowd roared for him at the start line.
While he was grateful to eventually get his visa, Omanyala also had a warning.
“If you are hosting a championship, you need to waive (visa requirements) for athletes,” he said. “It’s a lesson for the host country in the future, and the U.S. is hosting the Olympics in 2028, so they need to learn from this and do better next time.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ferdinand Omanyala gets to world track championships just in time
