Abdulrahman Samba leads in an event
DOHA: Abdulrahman Samba is improving with each passing day. The promising Qatari athlete set a world leading time this month and he feels his best is yet to come as he pursues Olympic and World records.
The 22-year-old hurdler is gearing up to defend his Doha crown as the Qatari capital braces to stage the season-opening meet of the for Diamond League this Friday.
“I have big dreams as I want to win everything,” the star athlete told reporters at Qatar Olympic Committee headquarters in Doha yesterday.
The middle-distance runner, who clocked 47.89 in South Africa to set world leading time earlier this month, said he has the ability to do even better.
“It was a confidence boosting performance and I am eager to improve this time,” he said.
“I’ve been training very hard for the new season. I’ve been attending a camp in South Africa since three months. This year I want to win the Diamond League Championship, a gold medal at the Asian Games and the World Cup title. I am targeting those achievements and I hope that someday I would be able to break world records. But it’s important I go step by step and don’t suffer injury,” Samba said.
In Doha last year, Samba stunned a star-studded line-up to win gold medal at the Qatar Sports Club and he targets the same in the upcoming meet.
“I am ready for the home competition. I love to perform in front of home crowd. It is very special to win a gold medal in Doha and I am looking forward to do that this weekend and start the Diamond League campaign with a victory. It will definitely give confidence for the season.”
The star athlete also shared his experience of the World Championships in London where he suffered a heartbreak and had to content with 7th position despite a blazing start in the final.
“I couldn’t believed the result for three days as I did a lot of training for the World Championships. I was very close to winning but I hit the last hurdle. It was a heartbreak but at the same time it gave me motivation to achieve something. I spoke to myself that I can do something,” he said.
Samba is one of the 16 athletes who will represent Qatar at the Doha Diamond League. The Qatar squad also includes Abdellelah Haroun, the 2017 World bronze medallist and Ahmed Bader, the 2017 Islamic Solidarity Games champion in the javelin.
