Ferdinand Omanyala Qualifies for Semifinals at World Athletics Championships

• Ferdinand Omanyala defied all odds to qualify for the semifinals of the 100 metres races at the World Athletics Championships
• Omanyala did just enough by finishing third to go through to the next round, where he will face Olympic champion Marcell Jacobs in his heat
• A showdown is expected in the Heat 2 of the semifinals when Fred Kerley comes up against reigning champion Christian Coleman

African fastest man Ferdinand Omanyala has qualified for the 100 metres semifinals at the World Athletics Championships in Oregon, USA.

Omanyala finished third in his heat to book one of the automatic three spots for the next round, which will take place on Sunday at 04:00 a.m Kenyan time.

The story around Omanyala prior to this race was his visa delay which saw him arrive in Oregon less than three hours before his race. He, however, shook off the jetlag after a 16-hour plus flight to run a time 0f 10.10 seconds.

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Slow as the time might have looked, it was enough to see the 26-year-old book a slot in the semi-finals, where he will join other heavy hitters like Olympic Silver medalist Fred Kerley.

Who else has qualified for the semifinals?

Kerley sent out an early statement of intent by running a time of 9.79 seconds in his Heat in what was a new record for the fastest time ever in a qualifying round. The American was joined by his compatriots, among them, reigning World Champions Christian Coleman, Trayvon Coleman and Marvin Bracy.

Olympic Champion Marcell Jacobs also scraped through his heat to qualify for the next round. Other superstars through include Yohan Blake, Andre de Grasse and former African champion Akani Simbine.