Africa’s fastest man Ferdinand Omanyala failed to qualify for the 100-meter finals after making it to the semis in his first attempt. On Saturday, July 16, the sprinter finished fifth in the race failing to qualify for the finals in Oregon, USA.

Omanyala had qualified for the semi-finals in a 10.10 seconds time finishing third in his heat. He then went ahead to the semis where he finished fifth. The sprinter then had to watch the finals where the winner from USA did a time of 9.88 seconds.

The sprinter had bettered that time in September of last year when he won the African championship in 9.77 seconds.

“Every challenge you face today makes you stronger tomorrow. The challenge of life is intended to make you better, not bitter. Persistence and resilience only come from having been given the chance to work through difficult problems. No matter how much falls on us, we keep moving,” Omanyala said after the race.

He had challenges when he was late to get his VISA to the United States 3 days ago. Omanyala made it just in time but did not have the luxury of preparing and resting like the other athletes.

This prompted Kenyans to intervene and blame the Ministry of Sports for messing up the sprinters chances at a world championship.