3 days ago
Qatar's Abakar and Hemeida star at ISTAF indoor meeting in Berlin
Tribune News Network
Doha
Qatar's athletes delivered a remarkable performance in the men's 400m hurdles event at the prestigious ISTAF 2025 meet in Berlin's Olympiastadion on Sunday securing two podium spots.
Ismail Doudai Abakar surged to victory, crossing the finish line with a season-best time of 48.04 seconds while Bassem Hemeida captured the bronze medal, setting a new personal best of 48.38 seconds to book his place at the upcoming World Athletics Championships Tokyo 2025.
Germany's Emil Agyekum secured the silver medal by equalling his personal best with a time of 48.21 seconds.
Abakar and Hemeida were both within the qualifying standard for the Worlds - 48.50 secs.
Abakar had previously qualified for the World Championships after clocking a time of 48.49 seconds at the Meeting International de Marseille two weeks back.
Apart from the one-lap hurdlers, Ammar Ismail Yahia Ibrahim will also represent Qatar at the Tokyo Worlds, after he qualified for the 400m as the reigning Asian Champion. Qatar's men's 4x400m relay team - Abderrahman Samba, Hemeida, Ashraf Hussen Osman and Ibrahim - will also be in action at the Tokyo Olympic Stadium, following their qualification with a national record time of 3:00.29 at the World Athletics Relays in Guangzhou in March.
