Qatar is relying on Olympic champion Mutaz Essa Barshim to win a world medal and stand on the podium at the 15th World Athletics Championships, scheduled for the Chinese capital Beijing from 22 to 30 August, according to a report by Agence France-Presse.
Qataris view Barshim with a mixture of hope and pride, especially since this champion was “made in Aspire” — confirming that Qatar has begun reaping the rewards of the sporting excellence academy that has started producing champions for the world.
Qatar has confirmed the final squad taking part in the championships, made up of Femi Ogunode (100m and 200m), Abdalelah Haroun (400m), Musaab Abdulrahman and Jamal Hairane (800m), Mohammed Al Garni (1500m), Ashraf Al Seifi (hammer throw) and Hashim Salah (3000m steeplechase).
Qatar aspires to achieve good results at the championships, especially as Doha won the honour of hosting the 2019 World Championships, beating the Spanish city of Barcelona and the American city of Eugene, after having lost its bid to host the 2017 championships to rival London.
The Qatar Athletics Federation is working to produce more champions at future championships and is working to expand its base of participants. Dahlan Al Hamad, president of the Asian and Qatar federations (who is contesting the IAAF vice-presidential elections on Wednesday), says: “Work is under way and there are promising signs despite the difficulties posed by our population compared to giant nations, but we are working to bring through new champions and focusing on strengthening our depth in order to guard against the risk of injury or absence due to unforeseen circumstances.”
Al Hamad expects sprinter Mutaz Essa Barshim to continue shining in the high jump, as well as sprinter Femi Ogunode, gold medallist in the 100m and 200m at the Incheon Asian Games, noting that Ogunode ran 9.93 seconds in the 100m, putting him close to the world’s elite, while also counting on Mohammed Al Garni, gold medallist in the 1500m at Incheon.
Optimism prevails within the Qatari delegation, with Khalifa Abdulmalik, national teams director, stressing the importance of taking part in the World Championships, describing the preparations as “ideal.”
Abdulmalik notes, in remarks to Agence France-Presse, that achieving positive results and improving marks remains the ultimate goal of this participation, hoping to return with results reflecting the great interest athletics has enjoyed throughout Qatar’s history.
Asked about the expected result for Mutaz Essa Barshim, he affirms that Mutaz has all the qualities and abilities that put him among the leading contenders to stand on the podium in the high jump.
Abdulmalik believes the strong form Mutaz has shown in training and recent meetings confirms he is fully ready to honour his country, especially as he has never once let down the hopes placed on him.
On his recent dip in form, he affirmed that natural circumstances had played a role in this, noting that Mutaz competed in some meetings in the rain, which had a negative effect and led to a decline in his marks.
The Qatari national teams director notes that natural conditions do not only affect Mutaz but affect all athletes, and had also played a negative role for others, such as Ukraine’s outdoor world champion Bohdan Bondarenko (2.41m), who cleared just 2.20m in China due to the rain.
Abdulmalik expects the weather conditions in China to be suitable during the championships, giving athletes a greater chance to show their abilities.
The silver Barshim won at the 2013 World Championships in Moscow points to a gold to come at the World Championships in China, since the 24-year-old had already succeeded in turning his London 2012 bronze into a Moscow 2013 silver — so will he manage to grasp gold at the “Bird’s Nest” Stadium in Beijing 2015?
IAAF elections
Separately, Al Hamad is seeking to keep his post as IAAF vice-president amid fierce competition from six other candidates.
Al Hamad affirmed he would seek to achieve the qualitative shift needed in athletics at world and continental level, saying: “The elections come this time amid difficult circumstances for athletics around the world, especially after the recent major controversy over doping, in addition to the IAAF going through a period of major change in its new composition and in the elections to be held the day after tomorrow in China.”
He noted that “I am not worried about any result, because the ambitious programmes I have put forward to keep my post as IAAF vice-president deserve the trust of the members of the 214 national federations around the world who will cast their votes to choose the new vice-president and his four fellow vice-presidents.”
