Distance runners Alia Saeed and Betlhem Belayneh represent the UAE’s last chance of adding to their Asian Games medals tally as the pair line up for today’s 5,000m at the Incheon Asiad Main Stadium.
Saeed will be looking to pull-off an impressive double after the 23-year-old stormed to gold in the 10,000m earlier in the week.
The Ethiopian-born Emirati clocked her 5,000m personal best at the Diamond League in Liege last July, posting a 15:24.94 and will enter today’s affair brimming with confidence.
Only two women in the 17-runner field today have gone faster in the 5,000m this season, Bahrain’s Mimi Belete and Japan’s Riko Matsuzaki.
Belete, 26, is the defending champion and she has already picked up a medal this week, claiming silver in the 1,500m.
While all eyes will be on Saeed, it is in fact her friend and compatriot Belayneh who had captured gold in the 5,000m at the Asian Athletics Championships last year in Pune. She made history for the UAE in 2013 by claiming two gold in Pune but has been riddled with injuries this year and finished a disappointing fourth in the 1,500m in Incheon.
Saeed will be seeking redemption however on the track today, where she and Belayneh are the country’s last hope of a medal these Games.
Meanwhile, UAE sailing officials believe the future is bright for their sport in the emirates after young prospects like Salama Al Mansoori, Hamad Al Hammadi and Mohamed Al Hammadi, all gained invaluable experience in Incheon.
Al Mansoori was the youngest sailor in the field and at the tender age of 12, has only been training in the sport for just seven months.
“We wanted to give our young sailors a taste of what it’s like on the world stage and I believe coming here has motivated them,” said Abdullah Al Obaidly, the secretary general of the UAE Sailing Federation.
“We’ve noticed that sailing is proving a big hit amongst our young girls in the UAE and we believe that Salama’s participation here can drive more females into the sport.”
