DOHA: All eyes will be on Qatar’s London Olympic Games hero high jumper Mutaz Essa Barshim who will lead the home athletes at the IAAF season-opener in May in Doha.
“Yes, he is a great athlete. He has done really well for Qatar ever since he won the bronze at the London Games,” Qatar Athletics Federation (QAF) President Dahlan Jumaan Al Hamad said yesterday.
“Our aim is to see him win medals. He has raised the standards and has done well at the international stage,” Al Hamad added.
Barshim is the national record and joint Asian record holder with a best mark of 2.39 metres.
The 21-year-old was the Asian Indoor and World Junior champion in 2010. He won the high jump gold medals at the 2011 Asian Athletics Championships and 2011 Military World Games.
“We are trying to have more rivals to him to compete against in Qatar. That would help him get even better,” the QAF president said. “He’s a force on the IAAF circuit. He has succeeded at many events after the Olympic Games,” he added.
“He is the new face in high jump. He is very popular,” he added. “We will have the region’s best athletes at our event and Mutaz is an example for them too,” the QAF president said.
Al Hamad said QAF would announce names of more athletes in the coming days.
“This year we will have the Jamaican and US trials in late May or early June. That will allow the athletes to go and get practice at other IAAF meets at the start of the season,” Al Hamad said.
“We are confident of roping in more top athletes.
“We couldn’t get Usain Bolt because he doesn’t want to start the season so early,” Al Hamad said when asked about the London Games’ hero in the 100, 200 and 4x100 getting a ticket do Doha.
THE PENINSULA
