ABDERRAHMAN SAMBA AND MUTAZ ESSA BARSHIM TOOK SUCCESS ON HOME SOIL IN ONE OF THE GREATEST MAY MEETINGS IN HISTORY
ABDERRAHMAN SAMBA delighted the crowd in the 400m hurdles, dominating from the start, holding form and going on to cross the line in 47.57 for a Diamond League and Qatar record as he set the fastest time in the world since 2010.
Last year Samba was seventh in the World Championships but has looked a much better athlete in 2018 and this improved his 47.90 set in South Africa in April.
Thirteen years after winning the world title, Bershawn Jackson was a distant second in 49.08 and Commonwealth champion Kyron McMaster of British Virgin Islands was a shellshocked third. Britain’s Jack Green placed seventh in 50.22.
Green said: “What a performance by Samba. It was good conditions but I wore a hurdle and that was pretty much my race. Because of the timing of the Commonwealth Games my plan was to train for four weeks and not race. But because I’m not funded or supported, when an opportunity like this comes up, I need to take the money to pay the bills.”
The other home success was more predictable as world high jump champion Mutaz Essa Barshim cleared 2.40m for victory, making this the sixth consecutive summer in which he has cleared at least that height. Syria’s world bronze medallist Majd Eddin Ghazal was second after clearing 2.33m.
One of the other notable performances on the track came from the Bahamas’ Steven Gardiner who made a sensational seasonal debut over the 400m.
The world silver medallist looked like he might be in for a close race at 300m but while others slowed, he powered away, keeping his form superbly and smashed the Bahamas record with 43.87 that moves him to 12th all-time. Following his 19.72 200m last month, he will surely go faster later in the season.
Abdalleleh Haroun was second in 44.50 and Commonwealth champion Isaac Makwala, who is still ahead of Gardiner on the all time lists, was third with 44.92 as he tied up in the straight.
This story is from the May 10, 2018 edition of Athletics Weekly.
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This story is from the May 10, 2018 edition of Athletics Weekly.
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