Ferdinand Omanyala, Africa’s 100m champion, overcame a grueling travel schedule to qualify for the semifinals of the World Athletics Championships in Oregon.
Omanyala finished third in his heat, won by Japan’s Sami Brown in 9:98, with New Zealand’s Edward Osei Nketia finishing second in 10:08.
Omanyala had only two hours to shake off jet lag and warm up for his heat after a visa delay forced him to leave the country on Thursday night for a 22-hour flight through Dubai, Seattle, and finally Oregon.
The semi-finals and final will take place on Sunday morning, Kenyan time. With a scorching 9:79 in heat 2, home favourite Fred Kerley underlined his status as the gold medal favorite, while Zharmel Hughes of Great Britain came in second in 9:97.
Travyon Bromell easily qualified for the semi-finals with a 9:89 performance to win his heat.
