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Tribune News Network
Doha
Qatar’s star world athletes Mutaz Essa Barshim (high jump) and middle distance runner Abderrahman Samba (400m) will be cynosure of all eyes when they hit the turf on the second and final day of the IAAF Diamond League London Anniversary Games on Sunday.
The 28-year-old Barshim has been a bronze medalist at London 2012 Olympic Games and silver medalist at 2016 Rio Olympics. The Asian record holder with a mark of 2.43m, he is in quest of Cuban Javier Sotomayor’s world record of 2.45m and preparing for the forthcoming IAAF World Championships to be held in Doha this September.
This will be Barshim’s first Diamond League appearance in 13 months. The Qatari athlete tore ligaments in his left ankle during an attempt on a would-be world record of 2.46m in Szekesfehervar, Hungary, last year, an injury that kept him on the sidelines until he resumed training in April.
In a low key comeback, Barshim topped 2.27m in Sopot, Poland, on 23 June, before bowing out with a pair of attempts at 2.30m and another at 2.33m.
Among the nine athletes who will line up in the men’s high jump event will be the world leader Ilya Ivanyuk, who topped 2.33m in Szekesfehervar, nine days ago, and Syria’s Majd Eddin Ghazal, who took bronze at the IAAF World Championships London 2017, a competition won by Barshim.
Meanwhile, Samba made a roaring return from injury earlier this month, finishing second in the men’s 400m in Monaco in 45 seconds.
The 23-year-old Qatar athlete has a personal best of 44.60 seconds which he ran in South Africa to kick-start his build-up to the World Championships. Samba won the 400m flat in Pretoria, before running away with 400m hurdles gold at the Asian Championships in April.
In ominous fashion, he opened his Diamond League season in Shanghai with a 47.27 second effort to win the 400m hurdles gold before injury forced a break.
In other events, world leader Malaika Mihambo (7.07m) of Germany takes on Brittney Reece of the US in the women’s long jump. In 2012 she jumped to Olympic gold in London and in 2017 to the world title. She’s jumped 6.95m this season. Among the local favourites will be multi-eventer Katarina Johnson-Thompson.
Zuzana Hejnova, the 2013 and 2015 world champion, heads the field in the women’s 400m hurdles. The Czech is the fastest in the field this year at 54.11. Jamaican Janieve Russell should also be in the hunt.
In the women’s 800m, Catriona Bissett of Australia and Jamaicans Natoye Goule will be in action.
World indoor 1500m record holder Samuel Tefera, 2017 World Championships bronze medallist Filip Ingebrigsten and British stars Jake Wightman and Charlie Da’Vall Grice lead the field in the Emsley Carr Mile. After his 3:30.62 1500m personal best in Monaco last week, Grice will attract considerable attention.
Doha
Qatar’s star world athletes Mutaz Essa Barshim (high jump) and middle distance runner Abderrahman Samba (400m) will be cynosure of all eyes when they hit the turf on the second and final day of the IAAF Diamond League London Anniversary Games on Sunday.
The 28-year-old Barshim has been a bronze medalist at London 2012 Olympic Games and silver medalist at 2016 Rio Olympics. The Asian record holder with a mark of 2.43m, he is in quest of Cuban Javier Sotomayor’s world record of 2.45m and preparing for the forthcoming IAAF World Championships to be held in Doha this September.
This will be Barshim’s first Diamond League appearance in 13 months. The Qatari athlete tore ligaments in his left ankle during an attempt on a would-be world record of 2.46m in Szekesfehervar, Hungary, last year, an injury that kept him on the sidelines until he resumed training in April.
In a low key comeback, Barshim topped 2.27m in Sopot, Poland, on 23 June, before bowing out with a pair of attempts at 2.30m and another at 2.33m.
Among the nine athletes who will line up in the men’s high jump event will be the world leader Ilya Ivanyuk, who topped 2.33m in Szekesfehervar, nine days ago, and Syria’s Majd Eddin Ghazal, who took bronze at the IAAF World Championships London 2017, a competition won by Barshim.
Meanwhile, Samba made a roaring return from injury earlier this month, finishing second in the men’s 400m in Monaco in 45 seconds.
The 23-year-old Qatar athlete has a personal best of 44.60 seconds which he ran in South Africa to kick-start his build-up to the World Championships. Samba won the 400m flat in Pretoria, before running away with 400m hurdles gold at the Asian Championships in April.
In ominous fashion, he opened his Diamond League season in Shanghai with a 47.27 second effort to win the 400m hurdles gold before injury forced a break.
In other events, world leader Malaika Mihambo (7.07m) of Germany takes on Brittney Reece of the US in the women’s long jump. In 2012 she jumped to Olympic gold in London and in 2017 to the world title. She’s jumped 6.95m this season. Among the local favourites will be multi-eventer Katarina Johnson-Thompson.
Zuzana Hejnova, the 2013 and 2015 world champion, heads the field in the women’s 400m hurdles. The Czech is the fastest in the field this year at 54.11. Jamaican Janieve Russell should also be in the hunt.
In the women’s 800m, Catriona Bissett of Australia and Jamaicans Natoye Goule will be in action.
World indoor 1500m record holder Samuel Tefera, 2017 World Championships bronze medallist Filip Ingebrigsten and British stars Jake Wightman and Charlie Da’Vall Grice lead the field in the Emsley Carr Mile. After his 3:30.62 1500m personal best in Monaco last week, Grice will attract considerable attention.
