MUSCAT: After securing spot at the 2024 Paris summer Olympic Games recently, Oman's young sprinter Ali bin Anwar al Balushi achieved another milestone to his impressive track record by claiming the gold medal at the U-23 Arabian Athletics Championship which is underway in Egypt until Tuesday. The 22 years old athlete managed to earn gold medal in the 100 m event and registered a new personal record as he finished the distance within 10.00 seconds. Nasser Mohammed from Saudi Arabia took the silver medal with a time of 10.23 seconds, while Lebanese runner Tamer Mohammed secured the bronze, clocking in at 10.32 seconds. Ali Al Balushi had earlier secured his spot in the finals by topping the qualifiers with a time of 10.22 seconds.
This championship marks Ali’s last official participation before his debut at the prestigious Olympic Games in Paris later this month. Under the guidance of his coach, Fahad al Mashakyei, Ali will undergo an intensive training program in preparation for the Olympics.
In other events, Asian Games bronze medalist Hussain al Farsi finished fourth in the 1500m race, clocking 4.03.39 minutes. The gold medal was claimed by Algerian runner Hiethem Shnetf, who finished in 4.01.16 minutes, followed closely by Qatari athlete Zakariya Ibrahim with a time of 4.01.45 minutes. Morocco’s Osama Er-Redounani took the bronze with a time of 4.03.16 minutes.
Omani athlete Hamza al Jabri competed in the 400m event, finishing fourth with a time of 47.71 seconds. Morocco’s Dair Hamza won the gold medal with a time of 46.34 seconds, followed by his teammate El-Boussiri Walid, who clocked 46.88 seconds for the silver. Lebanese athlete Mark Ibrahem secured the bronze with a time of 47.35 seconds.
High jumper Nameer al Busaidi finished fifth in the high jump competition, clearing 1.95 meters. The gold medal was awarded to Yousef Fawzy from Egypt with a jump of 2.13 meters. Iraqi athlete Abderrahmen Sabar took the silver with a jump of 2.10 meters, while Amine Ouahioune from Algeria claimed the bronze with a jump of 2.05 meters.
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