UK's Chris Thompson out of world athletics champs due to visa delay

British marathon runner Chris Thompson will miss the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon after being unable to obtain an American visa in time, UK Athletics (UKA) said on Friday.

Dozens of competitors have been struggling to get a US visa, with the logjam threatening to prevent about 100 athletes, coaches and officials from entering the country for the event that gets under way later on Friday.

“UKA had been in close liaison with World Athletics and enlisted help of the UK government to solve a last-minute holdup, however, due to the close proximity to the marathon on Sunday 17 July, Thompson is now unable to travel and compete,” the governing body said.

Thompson, a former European Championships silver medallist, said he was devastated.

“I'll never know what might have been, but I had high expectations of myself going out. It should never have got to this point and it's hard to believe it has,” said the 41-year-old.

Kenyan sprinter Ferdinand Omanyala, Africa's fastest man, faced a significant delay in the processing of his visa before getting a last-minute approval. He now faces a race against time to reach Eugene before the 100m heats on Friday.

Reuters