Qatari athlete Abderrahman Samba winning the 400m men’s hurdles semi-final during 23rd Asian Athletics Championships at Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, yesterday. Pictures: Salim Matramkot / The Peninsula
Abderrahman Samba eased into the final as hosts Qatar got off to a positive start at the 23rd Asian Athletics Championships, with home athletes advancing in various disciplines in Doha, yesterday.
Samba, the star 400m hurdler cruised into the final with the Season Best time of 49.57 to the semi-final at the Khalifa International Stadium. Actually, the Asian Games gold medallist could have finished the job much earlier but he intentionally slowed down in the end.
“It was just the semi-final and I wanted to save my energy for the final,” Samba, the Asian record holder said after his race.
With stars Mutaz Barshim and Abdalelah Haroun missing the continental event, Samba is the host nation’s main hope but the 23-year-old star is not feeling the pressure of an added expectations.
“Yes, Mutaz and Abdalelah are big names and a lot has been expected from me but I am not feeling any pressure. I am focused on winning,” said the 23-year-old before adding that no record was in his mind.
“I am looking forward to win a gold medal for Qatar and that is my goal, so I will go out there in the final and give my best,” said the expert hurdler.
Qatar’s Bassem Hemeida also qualified for the final of 400m hurdles after recording his season’s best time of 49.98. The final will be held today at 5:20pm.
“It was my first race at Khalifa Stadium and I am happy what I have achieved,” said Bassem. “The track is fast and it helps a lot,” he added.
Qatari sprinter Tosin Ogunode qualified for the semi-final of men’s 100m after clocking his Season Best of 10.22. He finished second behind Bahrain’s Andrew Fisher who topped the heat with a time of 10.15.
Another home racer, Jaber Hilal also qualified in the event with his Personal Best time of 10.74.
Qatar’s middle-distance runners Abdalla Abubaker and Jamal Hairane also stormed into the men’s 800 finals after outstanding performance in the qualifying rounds.
Abubaker topped the semi-finals with a time of 1:49.62 while Hairane was third in the same race clocking 1:50.73, and raising the home team’s prospects of winning two medals in the event.
Earlier in the morning session, Abubaker and Hairane topped their respective heats in men’s 800m finals with times of 1:50.12 and 1:53.31 respectively.
“I felt good. Hopefully I will be able to run a smooth race in the final as well and win it,” said Abubaker after winning the heat. “ I hope we will get a gold and a silver medal for Qatar,” he said.
Hairane said: “It was a good race for me but it was only a Round 1 race. Now I am looking forward to competing in the semi-final.”
Qatar’s Ambassador for IAAF Doha Worlds 2019, Mariam Farid failed to qualify for women’s 400m hurdles final after finishing on the bottom with a time of 1:10.33. Bahrain’s Yusuf Jamal topped the same heat with a time of 57.49.
Osman Ashraf and Nasir Abbas also failed to go beyond the semi-finals of men’s 400m.
