Four Bahrainis win athletics heats

Manama : Bahrain got its athletics campaign well and truly running with four first places in the qualifying heats at the Olympic Stadium yesterday in Rio de Janeiro with first places for Ruth Jebet (women’s 3,000 metres steeplechase), Salwa Eid Naser (women’s 400metres), Kemarley Brown (men’s 100 metres) and Ali Khamis (men’s 400 metres).

The 19-year old Jebet ran an impressive time in heat 1 in nine minutes 12.62 seconds in the 3,000 metres steeplechase to qualify for the final and finishing six seconds ahead of Ethiopia’s Sofia Assefa (9:18.75) with German Gesa Felicitas Krause (9:19.70) in third. Bahrain’s other runner was 19-year old Tigest Getent (9:49.92) who ended up 12th of 18 in heat 2, well behind the top three of Beatrice Chepkoech (KEN, 9:17.55), Emma Cobum (US, 9:18.12) and Habiba Ghribi (TUN) 9:18.71).

Jebet was fastest out of the 52 entrants with Getent ranked 40th overall.

18-year old Naser (51.06 seconds) won heat 6 ahead of Libania Grenot (ITA, 51.17) with Floria Guei (FRA, 51.29) in third to qualify for the semi-finals.

In heat 3, Bahrain’s other representative Oluwakemi Adekoya (50.72) also qualified for the semi-final behind the winner Phyllis Francis (US, 50.58) along with Margaret Bamgbose (NGR, 51.43) in third and Patrycja Wyciszkiewicz (POL, 52.02) fourth.

Adekoya was second fastest overall of 57 in the eight heats and Naser third.

The 100 metres men’s heats proved fruitful for Bahrain, with 24-year old Brown (10.13) winning heat 1 and qualifying for the semi-finals followed by Chijindu Ujah (GBR, 10.13) and Marvin Bracy (US, 10.16) in third.