Ferdinand Omanyala has revealed the motivation behind his outstanding performance at the World Championships in Oregon, US.
Speaking exclusively to Kenyans.co.ke on Saturday, July 16, Omanyala stated that Olympic gold medalist, Michael Johnsonpersonally sent him a message where he advised Africa's fastest athlete to focus on the race despite the controversy surrounding his visa processing.
Additionally, Johnson urged him to maintain his tactics ahead of the race.
"Glad you made it! Rest. Recovery. Hydration is really important. Get mentally locked in and think about nothing else but race execution. You're here now so don't even think about the visa situation or your late arrival anymore.
"That won't help. You have been running fast so keep doing what made you run fast. Never change how you run at a championship. Good luck!" Johnson wrote.
Omanyala expressed his gratitude to the veteran who has won 8 gold medals at the international event.
"Wow. Awesome. Thank you so much. I am sure today I will run faster," he responded.
The Kenyan star added that he would do his best to prepare for the decisive match and make Kenyans proud.
"Just received advice from a legend. I am more motivated," he further told Kenyans.co.ke.
Omanyala qualified for the semis, after finishing third in heat seven, clocking 10:10 seconds despite arriving three hours before the race began.
He is set to participate in the WC semi-finals set to take place tomorrow (July 17) in the early morning race.
Earlier on, Johnson had joined Kenyans in criticising several stakeholders for delaying Omanyala's visa approval.
"This is ridiculous! It’s been known US entry visa may be one of the most difficult and the organizing committee didn’t get ahead of this?" Johnson lamented.
