Abdalelah Haroun celebrates with a Qatari flag after winning the bronze medal in the Men’s 400m of IAAF Athletics World Championships London 2017 at London Stadium in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London, United Kingdom on Tuesday.
Qatari sprinter Abdalelah Haroun made history on Tuesday by becoming Asia’s first podium winner in the men’s 400 metres at IAAF World Championships. It was also Qatar’s first medal at the London track and field event.
The promising Qatari sprinter was over the moon after winning the bronze medal in his very first appearance in the prestigious event.
“The first thing I wanted to do was reach the final but I’ve had to fight for a medal. I knew it was a big chance for me so, I am very happy to have taken the opportunity,” Haroun, who took part in his maiden World Championships, said after the event.
The 21-year-old world junior champion and Asian champion Haroun gave his best to book a podium finish on Tuesday, coming from behind in the final 70 metres, clocking a seasonal best of 44.48 seconds behind Bahamas’ Steven Gardiner (44.41 secs) and gold medallist, the reigning Olympic champion and world record holder from South Africa, Wayde van Niekerk (43.98 secs)
“It is a very special moment for my country and an honour to take the bronze medal with me,” Haroun said while celebrating the victory with a Qatari flag on his hand.
Before Horoun, no Asian sprinter has won a medal in the men’s 400 metres at the World Championships since the inaugural event which was held at the Olympic Stadium in Helsinki, Finland in August 1983.
Haround has previously won a silver medal at the 2016 IAAF World Indoor Championships, gold at the 2016 IAAF World U20 Championships and another gold at the 2015 Asian Athletics Championships.
He broke the 500m indoor world record with a time of 59.83 seconds during the Globen Galan annual indoor athletics event in Stockholm in January 2016, becoming the first ever runner to finish the race in less than a minute.
He also secured the 400m gold at the 2015 Asian Athletics Championships with a time of 44.68 seconds.
Haroun, who only started practicing athletics three years ago, had missed the previous edition of the World Athletics Championships, held in Beijing, China in August 2015, due to an injury.
