Team Qatar athletes and officials pose for a photograph after arriving in Tokyo from Takasaki, yesterday.
Qatar’s world champion athlete Mutaz Barshim will begin his quest for the country’s maiden Olympic gold when the men’s high jump competition starts tomorrow.
The London 2012 Games bronze winner and silver medallist in Rio four years later, 30-year-old Qatari superstar will be looking to clinch a gold when he goes up against the world’s best in Tokyo.
Barshim has cleared the bar at 2.40m on 11 occasions since 2013, and that includes a 2.43m, the second best mark in the history of Men’s high jump since world record holder Javier Sotomayor.
Sotomayor’s mark of 2.45m remains the best since 1993. Barshim, regarded as the most outstanding high jumper in the past decade, almost re-wrote history when he tried to clear a would-be world record of 2.46m in 2014 but the luck was not with him in Bruxelles during the Diamond League Meet.
However, Barshim has not cleared the 2.40 mark since 2018.
With three in-form jumpers in the caliber of Russian Ilya Ivanyuk, Belarusian Maskim Nedasekau and American JaVaughn Harrison also looking to impress ahead of the reigning world champion Barshim, the TV viewers around the world will be in for a treat when the qualification round begins at the Olympic Stadium tomorrow at 3.15am Qatar time.
Barshim has competed just four times this season, but showed his class by easily topping 2.30m on three occasions. The Aspire Academy graduate is well-known for his fierce fighting spirit and will be a clear threat to the entire starting line-up, which also includes neutral athlete Mikhail Akimenko, the Doha Worlds silver medallist, Australian Brandon Starc, and former World Indoor champion - Italy’s Gianmarco Tamberi
Qatari athletes arrive at the Olympic Village
Barshim and the rest of Team Qatar athletes who were based in Takasaki, some 100 kilometres off Tokyo, yesterday arrived at the Olympic Village ahead of today’s qualifying rounds.
Also joining the star-sudded squad was One Lap hurdles specialist, World Championship bronze winner Abderrahman Samba. Samba is also part of an elite group in men's 400 metre hurdles, having joined the sub-47 club with a sensational 46.98 victory at the Paris leg of the Diamond League in 2018.
“Competing in Olympics is a big challenge but I am confident of doing well. My target is to clinch a medal for Qatar which will be a huge honour for me,” Samba said upon his arrival in Tokyo yesterday.
“Since I won a bronze medal at the 2019 World Championships in Doha, I was aiming for Olympics and the time has come. I am ready for tough challenge in presence of best athletes. I feel Tokyo Olympics is a great opportunity for me to claim honours for the country. Shining in Olympics is a dream of every athlete.”
The 25-year-old star hits the track at 5.25am Qatar time tomorrow and will go up against Brazil’s Pan American champion Alison dos Santos in the first heat.
Volunteers display a banner in support of Team Qatar yesterday.
Despite arriving in Tokyo with a season’s best of 48.26 secs, Samba will be chasing the medals in the presence of in-form runners, World champion and world record holder Karsten Warholm of Norway, and American Rai Benjamin.
Samba, Warholm and Benjamin are also the three fastest 400m hurdlers of all-time.
Regarding preparations, Samba said: “I’ve worked hard in all aspects. The training camps in South Africa and Turkey have been beneficial in my preparations for the Games and now I am looking forward to give my best.”
Female sprinter Bashir Al Manwari also hits the track tomorrow at 9.00am when she makes her debut appearance at the Olympics in the first heat of the 100 metres.
The athletics team which arrived in Tokyo yesterday also includes Femi Ogunode, Ashraf El Seify, Abubaker Haydar Abdalla, Musab Adam and Abderrahman Saeed.
Secretary-General of the Qatar Athletics Federation (QAF) Mohammed Issa Al Fadala said athletes are all set for the competition.
“Our camp in Takasaki went well as planned by the QAF under the guidance of our president Dr. Thani Al Kuwari. All the athletes are in best shape and are ready for their events.
“The training went well despite strict COVID-19 restrictions and I am satisfied with athletes preparations. They are confident of doing well,” he said.
