Qatar’s champions arrived in the Chinese capital from the various overseas training camps and meets they had taken part in to prepare well for the championships. The Qatari delegation is made up of a group of athletes led by Olympic and world medallist Mutaz Essa Barshim, who is hoping to continue his high jump form, alongside Femi Ogunode, who competes in the 100m and 200m, Musaab Abdulrahman Balla and Jamal Hairan, who compete in the 800m, Hashim Salah in the 3000m steeplechase, and Ashraf Al Saifi in the hammer throw. Promising sprinter Abdalelah Haroun had been due to compete in the 400m, but suffered a health issue in Doha before travelling to Beijing and underwent surgery as a result, which ruled out his participation – he holds the Asian record in the 400m and everyone expected a brilliant future for him. Also competing is developing talent Mohammed Al Garni in the 1500m.
As is customary, Mohammed Jassim Al Kuwari, secretary general of the Qatar Athletics Federation, heads the Qatari delegation at the championships – he had also represented Qatar at the IAAF General Assembly meetings that elected Major General Al Hamad as vice-president – alongside Khalifa Abdulmalik as team manager and Khalid Al Marri as an official, together with Abdulrahman Al Noubi and the group of coaches led by Sweden’s Stanislav Szerba, coach of Mutaz Barshim, Idris Al Sousi, coach of Al Garni, Hashim Salah and Jamal Hairan, world-class coach Jama Aden, who trains Musaab Balla, and Alexey Maikov, the hammer coach.
