Barshim aims for glory in Olympic swansong

Paris: There will be five Qatar athletes who will be in action on Wednesday at the Paris Olympic Games. But the spotlight will be firmly on Mutaz Essa Barshim, the high jump legend who is seeking to defend his gold in his Olympic swansong. The three-time World Champion has already stated that Paris Games will be his last Olympics and Barshim will be determined to add a fourth Olympic medal, having won a silver each at 2012 London and 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games before sharing the gold famously with Gianmarco Tamberi in Tokyo in 2021. Barshim will be in action on Wednesday in the qualification at 11am Qatar time, with 2.29 metres needed for automatic entry into the final, which is scheduled for Saturday. With a personal best of 2.43m and season best of 2.31m, qualifying for the final will be least of concern for the 33-year-old. Barshim has had a low-key build up to the Paris Games and has struggled with injuries. He withdrew from the last major competition before the Games, at the London Diamond League meeting, just moments before the event began, while standing on the track as he complained about lack of adequate space for the run-up. Barshim has yet to show his best form this year, with a highest jump of 2.31m so far, which opens the door for other contenders, with Italian Tamberi the early favourite. Tamberi produced the biggest leap of the year – 2.37m – to win his third consecutive European title in Rome in June, but announced three weeks ago that he had sustained a minor thigh injury and would need at least a week off to receive treatment. To add further to his troubles, Tamberi was in hospital with a suspected kidney stone last week and delayed his arrival to Paris. It remains to be seen if the 32-year-old will be able to take the field on Wednesday and if he does how fit he will be to give his best. “All I can do is wait and pray,” he said. “Only one thing is certain, I don’t know how I will get there, but I will be there on that platform and I will give my soul until the last jump, whatever my condition will be.” Meanwhile, New Zealand’s world indoor champion Hamish Kerr has been the most consistent competitor this year, clearing 2.36m to win his first global title in Glasgow, and backing up with wins in Monaco (2.33m) and London (2.30m) on the road into Paris. He fell short of reaching the World Championships final in Budapest last year, but he rebounded with a 2.33m win in Zurich 11 days later. Since then, he has developed considerable momentum and belief at the highest level. But the rest of the contenders have yet to catch fire this year. Only seven men have registered clearances above 2.30m. Apart from Tamberi, Kerr and Barshim, they include world silver medallist JuVaughn Harrison (2.34m), fellow US jumper Shelby McEwen (2.33m) and Korea’s 2022 world indoor champion Woo Sanghyeok (2.33m). Only one thing is certain: Tamberi and Barshim will not share the gold this year. The close friends have already agreed that if they were tied again in Paris, they would do a jump-off this time to decide the ultimate winner.

QOC First Vice President attends meeting ahead of weightlifting competitions

Paris: The First Vice President of Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC), President of Qatar, Arab and Asian Weightlifting Federations, H.E. Mohammed Yousef Al Mana, has attended the meeting  of officials, and technicians participating in the weightlifting competitions at the Paris 2024 Olympics. The meeting is part of a series of preparatory events that aim to strengthen teams and participants’ readiness for weightlifting competitions at the Olympic Games. Addressing the meeting, His Excellency stressed the importance of team work, adhering to the high standards of professionality, focusing on accurate specifics and teaming up to ensure achieving best results at the games.

Qatar’s Ismail finishes fourth in heats, eligible for repechage round

Paris: Qatar sprinter Ammar Ismail yesterday impressed with a personal best in the men’s 400m contest which got underway at the Stade de France in Paris yesterday. Making his debut at the Olympic Games, Ismail clocked 44.66secs to finish fourth in his heat falling short of a place as top three athletes from each heat advanced to the semi-finals.  Ismail’s time was eighth best among all contenders as a total of eight heats took place yesterday. The 27-year-old still has a chance to advance as he will take part in the repechage round today.

Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad attends men’s tennis finals

Paris:  H.E. Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al-Thani, President of the Qatar Olympic Committee and ANOC Senior Vice President attended the men’s tennis singles final between Serbia’s Novak Djokovic and Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz. In attendance also were H.E. Sheikha Al-Mayassa bint Hamad Al Thani, Chairperson of Qatar Museums, H.E. Nasser Al-Khelaifi, President of the Qatar Tennis, Squash and Badminton Federation and Nawal El Moutawakel, Vice-President of the International Olympic Committee. Novak Djokovic claimed the gold medal after beating Carlos Alcaraz 7-6 7-6. On the other hand, H.E. Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al-Thani also attended the men’s handball match between Egypt and Argentina. He was accompanied by Dr. Hassan Moustafa, President of the International Handball Federation, and Mr. Husain Al-Musallam, President of the World Aquatics Federation and Director General of the Olympic Council of Asia.

Team Qatar stars to take up 400m hurdles challenge

Paris, Qatar: Abderrahman Samba will spearhead Qatar’s charge in the men’s 400m hurdles, hoping to fulfill his “childhood dream” of winning an Olympic Games gold medal in Paris. With Bassem Hemeida and Ismail Doudai Abakar also qualifying, Qatar will become the first nation from Asia to participate in the discipline with three athletes in Olympics. The trio will hope to advance as heats are scheduled for Monday at Stade de France with Hemeida first to take the track followed by Samba (heat 2) and Abakar (heat 6). The top three athletes from the heats will enter the final while the next three fastest will reach the semi-final. Samba – a two-time Asian Games champion and 2019 World Championships bronze medalists – will be Qatar’s main medal hope in the competition dubbed one of the most difficult challenges in the ongoing Olympics. The event will see the likes of Norway’s Karsten Warholm – a Tokyo Olympic champion, three-time world champion and world record-holder, US record-holder Rai Benjamin, the Tokyo silver medallist, and Brazil’s 2022 world champion Alison dos Santos in action. “The 400m hurdles is one of the hardest events. If you win this time you will be the best in history. I wish I can make that history,” Samba, who finished fifth in Tokyo Olympics, said in a video posted by the Qatar Olympic Committee on X. The 28-year-old whose career has been marred by injuries made his return from the recent lay-off at the Stockholm Diamond League in June clocking 49.69 secs. But he showed improvement winning the Meeting Madrid 2024 with a time of 47.97. In July, he clocked 48.27 at Monaco Diamond League. “Injuries are the enemy of any athlete. I am so happy I am healthy, hopefully I can perform well in Paris”, said Samba. Despite facing an uphill task, Samba is targeting a victory in Paris. “I am so proud I am representing Qatar, hopefully can I make the people of Qatar proud too. Wining the Olympic Games is one of my biggest dreams, and I am still dreaming to make it happen. I am really close and I think Paris is going to be the place I can achieve my dream.”

Ammar qualifies to 400m semi-final semifinals

Paris: Ammar Ismail qualified to the 400m semi-finals at the Paris 2024 Olympics yesterday after winning his repechage race in a time of 44.47 seconds.  Ismail stressed that his aim is to qualify for the final.  “My goal is to continue working hard to qualify for the final. The competition was not easy and will be even more challenging in the semi-finals, but entering the race in the best mental state is essential to achieve the best result and reach the final.” He said.