01 May 2023
Aspire Academy student-athlete Mahamat Abdrahman claimed 400m hurdles gold at the Asian Under-18 Athletics Championships on Sunday 30 April.
The 17-year-old’s time of 50.91 seconds, on the final day of the event in Uzbekistan, was not only a personal best but also a new championship record as he went one better than the silver he won at last year's Asian Under-18 Athletics Championships in Kuwait.
Aspire Academy’s Head Athletics Coach Tom Crick hopes that the performance in Tashkent is a sign of things to come for Mahamat, who is coached by Lee Cristopher and also competes for the Al Ahli Sports Club.
"I would like to congratulate the Qatar Athletics Federation (QAF) on some excellent performances at the Asian U18 Championships, against strong opposition,” Crick said.
"Although Abdrahman is still an under-18 athlete, we hope that QAF will consider selecting him to compete in the Asian Under-20 Championships, to be held in South Korea in June.”
“This would give Abdrahman an opportunity to compete against older, more experienced, athletes ahead of the 2024 World Under-20 Championships."
Aspire Academy student-athlete Ibrahim Haydar Abdullah (Al Rayyan SC/Barry Fudge, Ahmad Abdulla Jamal Hairane) narrowly missed out on a medal as he finished fourth in the 800m final.
There was a personal best for Mubarak Abdulla Al-Noubi in the 110m hurdles while Rakan Mubarak Al-Rashidi was 6th in the Long Jump. Both athletes also represent Al Sadd SC and are coached by Ross Jeffs.
Meanwhile, part-time Aspire Academy student-athlete Tameem Al Temimi (Al Sadd SC/Lee Cristopher) reached the semi-finals of both the 100m and 200m but ultimately missed out on the finals.