Qatar’s Oumar Dawood Abakar (second right) in action during the 110m hurdles final yesterday.
Al Annabi sprinter Oumar Dawood Abakar overcame an injury to secure silver medal in 110m hurdles as Qatar wrapped up their Asian U20 Athletics Championships campaign with three gold and two silver medals in Yecheon, South Korea yesterday.
Oumar – an Aspire Academy athlete – clocked a personal best of 13.68 secs as he finished behind Yuan Kai Hsieh of Chinese Taipei, who was fastest with a time of 13.44. Liu Hiu Long of Hong Kong claimed bronze medal with a time of 13.73. Another Aspire Academy athlete Nayef Al Rashidi was disqualified for a false start in the final after he was awarded fifth place initially.
Oumar picked up a minor injury during the men’s 110m hurdles but the team management gave go ahead to the athlete to compete in the final.
“The team took the right decision and he produced a personal best as he won his silver,” Aspire’s Head Athletics Coach Tom Crick said in a statement yesterday.
After Oumar’s silver medal yesterday, Qatar finished sixth in the medals standings with three gold and two silver medals.
Oumar’s brother Ismail Dawood Abakar was the most successful Qatari athlete in the event as he claimed two gold medals, winning the men’s 400m and 400m hurdles races. Rising pole vaulter Seif Abdessalem Hemeida, also an Aspire Academy athlete, was the other gold medal winner while Ahmet Gebril won silver in men’s shot put event.
“Qatar finishing the competition with 3 gold and 2 silver medals is a testament to the hardwork day in and day out from coaches, officials and support staff throughout the 2023 season,” said Crick.
“These performances in Korea are very positive for Qatar ahead of next year’s World Under-20 Athletics Championships in Peru,” the coach added.
With their tally of five medals, Qatar finished in overall sixth position with Japan topping the medals table with 14 gold, four silver and five bronze medals.
China wrapped up their campaign in second place with 11 gold, five silver and three bronze medals while India secured third spot with six gold, seven silver and six bronze medals.
Meanwhile, pole vaulter Hemeida, who set up the championship record clearing 5.50m, said the victory gave him confidence for the challenges ahead.
“It was an indescribable feeling to win gold for Qatar and see the national flag flying high,” the 18-year-old told Alkass.
“It was a tough competition, the Asian contests are always challenging. I am looking forward to continue winning medals for Qatar,” he added.
