Gumi: Qatari runner Ammar Ismail won the gold medal in the 400m race Wednesday at the Asian Athletics Championships being held in Gumi, South Korea. Ammar Ismail secured first place with a time of 45.33 seconds, surpassing Japan’s Sato Kentaro, who claimed the silver medal with a time of 45.50 seconds.
According to Qatar News Agency, Sri Lanka’s Kumarji Kalinga finished third, taking the bronze medal in the race. The 26th edition of the Asian Championships commenced with 2,000 athletes from 43 countries across the continent participating in 26 races and events for men and women at the Gumi track and field. The event is scheduled to run until June 1.
The opening ceremony of the championship included a parade celebrating Asian heritage and a procession of the participating teams. This was followed by a speech from HE President of the Asian Athletics Federation Dahlan Jumaan Al Hamad, who declared the start of the championship with the participation of the continent’s elite athletes, including Olympic and world medalists.
The President highlighted that this elevates the competition for medals and records in the current edition, intensifying the championship’s races and competitions. He expressed his wishes for the athletes’ success in their pursuit of medals and qualifying records for the World Championships slated for September in Tokyo, Japan.
In his address, Al Hamad emphasized that the continent’s advanced performance at the Paris Olympics last year indicates a promising future for Asian athletics, on its way to becoming the world’s best. The Qatari athletics team is competing in the championship with a lineup of 17 athletes, including hurdler Abderrahman Samba, and promising talent Saif Abdulsalam, winner of the Best Under-20 Athlete in Asia award in the pole vault.
Bassem Hemeida, last year’s gold medalist in the 400m hurdles, is also present, alongside Ammar Ismail, Ashraf Hussein, and Salah Younes.