Qatar’s athletics champions begin their participation in the 15th World Athletics Championships, which open today in the Chinese capital Beijing with more than 2,000 athletes competing for the coloured medals in field and track events and various prizes, at a time when the world is watching this championship closely following prolonged talk about doping in athletics and claims that the IAAF family had been lenient about its use – claims the federation has denied on more than one occasion, describing them as attempts to undermine the mother of sports, at a time when corruption has run rampant in a number of highly popular international sports federations. Beijing’s Bird’s Nest Stadium will host this major global event, the first of its kind for athletics, the second most-watched sporting event after the Olympics and equal in popularity to football in terms of media, marketing and public interest. China prepared well for the event and completed its preparations in a short period given the readiness of the stadium, which hosted the 2008 Olympics and witnessed many feats of creativity in athletics, charting a course of excitement in the sport’s history through the various records set on its field and track. The championships’ senior organising committee prepared a spectacular ceremony to launch the global event, with all the talk focused on the dazzling show the Chinese, known for their attention to detail and broad vision, could put on.
Marathon in the morning
The marathon will start in the morning, with the heats of four events following directly afterwards, before the opening ceremony at 5pm, followed by the 10,000m final on the same day.
While the major athletics event presents a new challenge for champions chasing the coloured medals, fears of a lapse in focus haunt many of them, chief among them Jamaican Usain Bolt, the fastest man in the world and athletics’ hurricane, whose focus has been on his recent struggles with injury and the risk of it recurring during the current championships – something sprint fans do not wish for, and which neither the crowd nor the champions chasing the coloured medals expect.
Qatar’s champions raise the banner of challenge
Unluckily for Qatar’s athletics champions, the competition schedule placed them under pressure before they could even catch their breath from the training camps abroad and the meets they had taken part in preparing for this major event, with four of Qatar’s champions beginning their challenge on the very first day, before the championships’ opening ceremony in the evening.
Al Saifi takes on the hammer’s top names
Our promising champion Ashraf Al Saifi will be the first to begin his World Championships challenge, competing for the first time as he takes on the hammer throw qualifying round this morning, having prepared in more than one country under the supervision of his world-class coach Alexey Maikov, who has readied his athlete well for his first experience among the seniors. Al Saifi holds the youth-category world record set at the World Championships in Barcelona three years ago and won gold in the junior category at the World Championships in Eugene, America, a year ago, and is now moving for the first time to competing at the World Championships for seniors, despite still being of junior age, having chosen instead to take on the challenge and make a name for himself through a new achievement or experience that will help him become one of the champions of the future – a path supported by the major approach set out by the Qatar Athletics Federation, followed closely by HE Major General Dahlan Jumaan Al Hamad, president of the federation, who himself focuses on building strong generations capable of carrying Qatar’s flag at international forums and major challenges. Al Saifi arrived in Beijing after qualifying for the championships in fine style, recording 78.04m, and hopes to better this mark when he begins his championships today
Musaab and the big challenge
The second competitor on the first day is outstanding, developing runner Musaab Balla, who has reached his best form this season and will take on the 800m heats against a host of the world’s leading champions and record holders such as Mohamed Aman and Rudisha, along with other champions and medal winners in the event. But the promising Musaab is armed with strong determination to reach the podium, having taken on tough meets with resolve and improved his level under the supervision of world-class coach Jama Aden, who has readied Musaab for his best results, changed aspects of his running style and trained him to stick to a particular tactic that will help him stand out at the World Championships.
Hairan and his first appearance
Competing alongside Musaab in the 800m is young runner Jamal Hairan, the last of Qatar’s athletes to qualify for the championships, who will be making his first appearance at this level and hopes to achieve his best result to benefit from in the near future. The Qatar Athletics Federation sees his participation in these championships as a great motivator and a show of trust to help him develop further, having prepared through various training camps under coach Idris Al Sousi.
Hashim Salah and a first appearance
Promising Qatari Hashim Salah makes his first appearance at the championships in the 3000m steeplechase, competing under an IAAF provision aimed at broadening participation, especially since the steeplechase carries a distinctly African stamp through Kenya’s champions. The IAAF decided that steeplechase qualifiers should come from more than one country so that competition for the medals is not monopolised by a single nation, since leaving qualification as it was would have sent all its medals to one country, effectively guaranteeing that country a range of medals in a single event. The federation therefore changed the system and gave the competition a different character, so that champions have equal chances of competing for the medals in the race.
Femi’s first steps under the sun
After the opening ceremony, Qatar’s challenge continues when champion Femi Ogunode competes in the 100m heats, having improved his technical level in the event considerably thanks to a new training approach from his coach, and having prepared well to take on the sprint elite through his training camp in Orlando, USA, followed by a further camp in Japan, from where he travelled to China for the championships. Although Femi always finds himself among the world’s speed giants, he will look to appear among them at this major event as a contender rather than just a participant, and he also competes in the 200m against the same field at the championships. The 100m heats will be the first race of the championships following the opening ceremony
Schedule of finals
Below is the schedule of races and events at the World Athletics Championships in Beijing from 22 to 30 August:
Saturday 22:
Men:
Marathon, 10,000m
Women
Shot put
Sunday 23:
Men:
100m, hammer throw, shot put, 20km race walk
Women:
Heptathlon
Monday 24:
Men:
3000m steeplechase, pole vault
Women:
100m, triple jump, 10,000m
Tuesday 25:
Men:
400m hurdles, 800m, long jump
Women:
1500m, discus throw
Wednesday 26:
Men:
400m, javelin throw
Women:
Pole vault, 3000m steeplechase, 400m hurdles
Thursday 27:
Men:
200m, triple jump
Women:
400m, hammer throw
Friday 28:
Men:
110m hurdles
Women:
200m, 100m hurdles, long jump, 20km race walk
Saturday 29:
Men:
5000m, 4x100m relay, decathlon, discus throw, 50km race walk
Women:
4x100m relay, 800m, high jump
Sunday 30:
Men: 4x400m relay, 1500m, high jump
Women:
4x400m relay, 5000m, javelin throw, marathon
