USA’s Rai Benjamin (second left), Qatar’s Abderrahman Samba (second right) and Japan’s Takatoshi Abe compete in the Men’s 400m Hurdles semi-final during the 2019 IAAF World Athletics Championships at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, yesterday. P
As expected, it will be a three-way battle for the men’s 400m hurdles gold medal as home favourite Abderrahman Samba, reigning champion Karsten Warholm and American sensation Rai Benjamin, advanced to the final at Khalifa International Stadium yesterday.
The men’s 400m hurdles was predicted to be one of the most fiercely contested battles at the IAAF World Athletics Championships Doha 2019, and rightly so.
It is a fight for the title among three of the world’s four quickest men in history.
The trio - Samba, Warholm and Benjamin, with a magical sub 47 to their credit - produced sterling performances in the semi-finals yesterday to set up a mouth-watering final tomorrow.
With Warholm winning his semi-final in 48.28s, America’s Benjamin won the last semi-final in 48.52s, ahead of Samba (48.72s).
The race between the duo couldn’t have been more different from their last meeting, in Shanghai, where Samba won in a tight finish.
This time round, with Samba missing in action in the past few months through injury, Benjamin looked better than his Qatari rival. He was out quick before relaxing through the back straight. Another burst off the bend saw him establish a lead, and although his Qatari rival pushed off the final barrier, the American had stormed past him.
But a confident Samba wasn’t bothered with the semi-final outcome and was targeting the final.
“So far, I am enjoying these championships and the atmosphere. But ask me after the final if I still do. It is great here to run in front of the home crowd. Feeling a great support in back, no pressure,” Samba said in a brief chat with reporters after his semi-final yesterday.
Benjamin, who is making his World Championships debut in Doha, was delighted with his run.
“I feel pretty good. I just wanted to get out there and manage the race and run smart so that I could set up a good final on Monday (tomorrow),” Benjamin said before adding that he was not taking pressure of a stiff competition.
“I am just worried about getting out there and running my best race. At this point, like everything I have done this season is just for this point right here. So I just go out there and leave it all on the track. All the Diamond Leagues have prepared me for this,” he added.
Overall Warholm finished the semi-finals on top followed by Brazil’s Alison Dos Santos (48.35) and Turkey’s Yasmani Copello (48.39).
“On the track, I felt better than yesterday. I think I managed a pretty good run and may be spared some energy for the final. I did not have the chance to watch the other but it is OK. I am just focused on myself,” Norway’s Warholm said.
Meanwhile, Kyron McMaster was disqualified after ploughing through the first barrier during the semi-final. A protest was later filed by the British Virgin Islands (IVB) Team, claiming their athlete had cleared the hurdle, and through he had hit the hurdle, it was not as a deliberate action.
The team requested McMaster to be reinstated into the final.
Youth Olympics hero Abdelaziz to begin campaign today
The 2018 Youth Olympics gold medalists Abdelaziz Mohamed of Qatar will be seen in action today, competing in the opening round of men’s 200m race.
Apart from Abdelaziz, Qatar’s Abubaker Haydar Abdalla will run for a place in final of men’s 800m after he cleared the first round yesterday. The Asian champion reached the finish line in 1:46.11 to finish second in his heat.
Another Qatari middle-distance runner Jamal Hairane, who clocked 1:46.40 in heats of the same event, failed to qualify for the final falling just fraction of a second short.
