Why Ferdinand Omanyala is upbeat over zero hiccups in quest for Olympic glory

Why Ferdinand Omanyala is upbeat over zero hiccups in quest for Olympic glory

Abigael Wafula 09:00 - 21.05.2024

Africa's fastest man Ferdinand Omanyala has his fingers crossed to have an amazing outing at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Africa 100m champion Ferdinand Omanyala is hoping to have no hiccups as he chases history at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games scheduled for Thursday, August 1 and Sunday, August 11.

During the 2022 World Championships in Eugene, Oregon, Omanyala had visa issues and arrived for the men’s 100m heats two hours before the race, something that shocked the entire world.

The 28-year-old proceeded to finish third in the heats of the race, before being knocked out in the semifinal where he finished fifth.

As he gears up for the Olympics, there are certain things he has already worked on including securing a visa and making sure he does not experience any travel challenges.

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“It was like two hours before the race at the World Championships. I got my visa like three years ago…but France for me is home because we have our training camp in Miramas, South of France, so basically that is home.

“This will be my fourth or fifth race happening in Paris and so I’m excited. I mean, I don’t think I will have any hiccups and I’m just building up slowly as we head into Paris,” Omanyala said.

During last year’s World Championships in Budapest, Hungary, the Commonwealth Games champion proved to be cautious and arranged his traveling in good time.

He was able to finish second in the heats before settling for third to proceed to the final of the race. The final was tricky for Africa’s fastest man who faded to settle for seventh-place in the race won by triple world champion Noah Lyles.

Letsile Tebogo made history by becoming the first African to win a medal in the men’s 100m as he settled for second place with Great Britain’s Zharnel Hughes.

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