Qatar's Track Stars Ready for Olympic Glory

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune - www.newsofbahrain

Barshim's Quest for Gold

As the 2024 Summer Olympics approach, Qatar’s athletics team is preparing with high hopes, led by the renowned high jumper, Mutaz Barshim. At 32, Barshim is gearing up for his fourth Olympic appearance, aiming to defend his gold medal from Tokyo. Known for his impressive record, including silver medals in London and Rio, Barshim's shared victory with Gianmarco Tamberi in the COVID-delayed Tokyo Games remains the standout highlight.

Olympic Countdown

Scheduled from July 26 to August 11, the Paris Olympics will see athletics events commencing on August 1. Barshim, a three time world champion, is a strong contender, having shown remarkable progress this season. He began with a 2.27m leap in the Xiamen Diamond League, improved to 2.29m in Shanghai, and achieved 2.31m at the What Gravity Challenge in Doha.

Barshim's Preparation

“The target for me is always the Olympics. It’s my fourth Olympics and it’s very important to me and I want to be sure that I am ready to fight and jump high. So everything I’m doing now is according to the plan to be ready for the Olympics,” Barshim commented after the Xiamen meet in April.

Qatar's Historic Olympic Qualification in Men's 400m Hurdles

Qatar's men's 400m hurdles team is making history with Abderrahman Samba, Bassem Hemeida, and Ismail Doudai Abakar becoming the first Asian trio from one nation to qualify for the Olympics. Samba and Hemeida secured their spots with a 1-2 finish at the Asian Games, while Abakar qualified with a time of 48.68 seconds in South Africa. Samba recently returned from injury, showing promise for the Olympics, and middle-distance runner Abubaker Haydar Abdalla will compete in the men’s 800m. Qatar Athletics Federation President Mohammed Issa Al Fadala expressed optimism about their prospects, emphasizing athlete health and aiming for podium finishes.

With such a formidable team, Qatar is poised to make a telling impact at the Paris Olympics.