Qatar’s national team 400m runner Abdalelah Haroun passed away in a painful car accident in the early hours of today, dying shortly after being taken to hospital, where all attempts to resuscitate him failed. He was 24.
The athlete was on his way home in the Al Waab area when he was involved in a car accident that took his last breath, ending a life journey filled with a series of achievements and successes in the men’s 400m, one of the toughest events in athletics.
Haroun had been preparing to compete in the final Olympic qualifying trials for the Tokyo 2020 Games, hoping for a second Olympic appearance after Rio 2016, but fate did not allow it.
Haroun was born on 1 January 1997, and was recognised by everyone for his talent from a young age. Within a short period he succeeded in breaking the Asian indoor 500m record at just 18 years old, clocking 59.83 seconds at the “Globen Galan” international athletics meeting in the Swedish capital, Stockholm, on 18 February 2016.
Haroun became the first runner in history to go under the one-minute barrier in this event, given that the previous record, of 1:00.09, was held by American Brycen Spratling.
He also won silver at the 2016 World Indoor Championships in Portland, before claiming bronze at the 2017 World Championships in London, clocking 44.48 seconds, behind South Africa’s Wayde van Niekerk and the Bahamas’ Steven Gardiner.
Haroun also won two golds at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, in the 400m, ahead of India’s Muhammed Anas Yahiya and Bahrain’s Ali Khamis (bronze), and he also helped Qatar’s team, alongside the trio Abderrahman Samba, Mohammed Al Nour and Mohammed Abbas, win the men’s 4x400m relay with a new Asian record of 3:00.56, while the previous Asian record, held by the Japanese team, was 3:01.70.
Second place in the same race went to India, in 3:01.85, taking silver, while bronze went to the Japanese team in 3:01.94.
Haroun followed this in the same year by winning the 400m at the IAAF Continental Cup in Ostrava, Czech Republic, competing for the “Asia-Pacific” team, covering the distance in 44.72 seconds.
Haroun competed in numerous Diamond League meetings, achieving highly impressive marks, and everyone expected a bright future for him given his great technical and physical abilities.
Qatar’s sporting community mourned Haroun, as the Qatar Olympic Committee’s Twitter account published a statement saying: “Qatar’s national team runner Abdalelah Haroun, world 400m bronze medallist, has passed away.”
Jassim Al Buainain, Secretary General of the Qatar Olympic Committee, wrote on Twitter: “Indeed we belong to God and to Him we shall return. Our sincere condolences and deepest sympathy to the family of the deceased and to Qatar’s sporting family.”
The Qatar Stars League Foundation offered condolences to Qatar’s sporting family, writing: “The Qatar Stars League Foundation extends its sincere condolences and sympathy to the family of Qatari runner Abdalelah Haroun, world 400m bronze medallist. Indeed we belong to God and to Him we shall return.
The Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy said: “Our warmest condolences to Qatar’s sporting community on the passing of Qatari runner Abdullah Haroun. May God have mercy on him and forgive him.”
The Diamond League’s Twitter account also posted a tweet saying: “Devastating news: Abdalelah Haroun died in an accident this morning, the world 400m bronze medallist and winner of the London 2018 Diamond League.”
