Bahrain’s Kemi Adekoya relishing world final chance

TDT | Manama    

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Bahrain’s Kemi Adekoya is not taking anything for granted as she gets set to fight for gold in the women’s 400 metres hurdles final tonight at the World Athletics Championship 2023 in Budapest.

Kemi emphatically set new Asian records in the event’s previous two rounds en route to securing her place in the title-deciding race, and she is fully relishing the experience of making it to her first-ever world final.

“The chance to fight for a medal is my big inspiration because it is going to be my first world final,” Kemi said on Tuesday night following her semi-final heat.

“I did not make it in 2015, I fell down in the heats. In 2017, I made the standard but got an injury. So to make a final this time, I am really happy.

Despite the pain, I never stopped training, and it is paying off.” Kemi is an underdog heading into tonight’s race. Nonetheless, the 30-year-old is hopeful of adding a world championship medal to the indoor world title she won in 2016 in the women’s 400m.

Kemi has so far impressed at the Hungarian capital, and on Tuesday set a new Asian record for the second successive night with a run of 53.39 seconds.

“I am grateful for this, I showed that I can still improve,” she said. “I am hoping to repeat it in the final because running with stars like Femke Bol will push me to go even faster.

I want to run 52 [seconds]. “In this semi-final I was able to correct some mistakes from the heat but I was a little tired.

We have one day of rest so I can recover and come back fresh for the final. “I scratched my knee a bit warming up but I am OK. I had been chasing this Asian record for so long, and now I have done it twice. I am hopeful I can do it again in the final.”