Our national youth athletics team concluded its participation in the Asian Championships in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, which drew more than 500 athletes representing 40 countries, by winning silver in the 800m, taking its medal tally to four — two golds in the discus and 3000m steeplechase and a silver in the 1500m. Major General Dahlan Al Hamad, president of the Qatari and Asian federations and IAAF vice-president, presented the medals to the continent’s champions amid great joy from all participants, especially our team’s promising champions, capable of continuing to progress and achieve the best.
Promising champion Idris Yousef Moussa won silver in the 800m behind the Indian runner who took gold, repeating his win over our promising champion, with Idris recording a time of 1:52.28 for his second medal, having led the race until the closing metres, when the Indian runner’s strength told in the finish, providing the surprise of the championships as India swept the distance events with a promising generation.
Medal ceremony by the president
Yesterday’s 800m saw Major General Dahlan Al Hamad present the medals to the three podium finishers, taking care to congratulate the runners after presenting them with their medals at the close of a championships that also saw Saudi Arabia’s 4x400m relay team win bronze.
Idris looks to the future
Our promising champion Idris Yousef expressed satisfaction with his 800m silver, saying the competition had been extremely tough and that the Indian runner passed him in the closing metres. He said he had hoped to wear gold to make everyone in Qatar happy, but that he must now work hard for what comes next, vowing to learn from his mistakes to develop with his coach Abdi Bile, the Qatar Athletics Federation’s distance coach.
