From Desalegn to Barshim – Meet the Gulf’s 2016 Olympic hopefuls

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  • Cream of the crop: The athletes hoping to represent the Middle East at Rio 2016.

    Although the Middle East has not exactly been a hotbed of Olympic success over the years, the region has still produced a number of medal winners and plenty of intriguing stories. 

    Here, a year out from next summer’s Olympic games in Rio de Janeiro, Sport360 selects nine Gulf athletes seeking to grab a share of the limelight in 2016. 

    MUTAZ BARSHIM (Qatar) – High Jump

    A bronze medalist at London 2012, Barshim is one of the Gulf’s top prospects for the Rio Olympics next summer. In February, he underlined his impressive talents by improving his own Asian record – the 2.41m jump at the Athlone International Grand Prix in Ireland remains the highest of any athlete in 2015 and it saw the Qatari join a select group of jumpers who have cleared 2.40m indoors.

    His preparations for Rio suffered a setback when he finished third at the Asian Athletics Championships in June – Japan’s Takashi Eto claimed a shock gold – and Barshim will be looking to bounce back at the upcoming World Championships. He is part of a strong field in Beijing, including home favourite Guowei Zhang, the man who pipped the 24-year-old Qatari to silver at the 2012 Olympics, American Eric Kynard, and long-time rival and reigning world champion Bohdan Bondarenko. 

    SARAH ATTAR (Saudi Arabia) – Marathon

    Sarah Attar.

    In one of the most iconic moments of London 2012, Attar made history as Saudi Arabia’s first female athlete to compete at an Olympic games. Despite finishing last in the 800m, some 30 seconds after the other runners, Attar has inspired a generation of runners in her homeland and has since run three Boston Marathons, including a new marathon personal best of 3:18:37.

    "For women in Saudi Arabia, I think this can really spark something to get more involved in sports, to become more athletic," she said after her Olympic experience in London. "Maybe in the next Olympics, we can have a very strong team to come."

    Now based in Los Angeles, Attar has her sights set on running the marathon at next year’s Olympics, though her current PB is 35 minutes slower than the qualification time.

    YOUSEF MASRAHI (Saudi Arabia) – 400m

    One of the stand-out performers on the Asian circuit over 200m and 400m, 27-year-old Masrahi was a gold medalist at the Asian Games last October. His form has improved in 2015 and at the Jamaican International Invitation three months ago, he fended off 2008 Olympic champion LeShawn Merritt to win the 400m, running a personal best of 44.58. A star of the Saudi team, the Najran-born athlete can be expected to make the plane to Brazil should his convincing displays continue.

    BETLHEM DESALEGN (UAE) – 1500m

    The Ethiopian-born middle distance runner has enjoyed an excellent year in 2015, retaining her 1500m crown at the Asian Athletics Championships, as well as adding a gold medal in the 5000m. She has twice this year – in Stockholm and Heusden-Zolder – run below 4:26, the Olympic qualifying time for the 1500m and has her sights set on a return to the games after competing at London 2012.

    MUBARAK AL BESHER (UAE) – SWIMMING

    Mubarak Al Besher.

    Al Besher was eliminated from the heats of the World Swimming Championships last Sunday after finishing last in the 100m breaststroke but has experienced competing against some of the biggest names in the sport during his career.

    At London 2012, Al Besher swam the 100m breaststroke, finishing 42nd in the heats, and is now a senior figure in the UAE camp, with coach Mohamed El Zanaty saying: “The team is very close and Mubarak, being the most experienced, is the leader.”

    With meetings to target in winter and early spring, Al Besher will likely have the opportunity to take to the Olympic stage for a second time in Rio.

    MARYAM YUSUF JAMAL (Bahrain) – MIDDLE DISTANCE

    Her first Olympic outing was a 5th-placed finish in Beijing in 2008 and four years later she stepped up to the podium in London after edging out Tatyana Tomasheva to claim a bronze medal. Last year’s Asian Games in Incheon saw Jamal win her third consecutive gold medal in the 1500m and she added a 5000m gold to boot.

    Jamal, also a 1500m gold medal winner at the 2009 World Championships, posted a season’s best in the 1500m and 3000m in May and June of this year respectively and should seal a place in Rio if she stays injury free.

    BARAKAT AL-HARTHI (Oman) – 100M

    Barakat Al-Harthi.

    Al-Harthi highlighted his immense talents at the Arab Championships in April, finishing second in both 100m and 200m races – behind Qatar’s Femi Ogunode. Despite a light headwind, both times clocked proved to be season’s bests for the Omani athlete.

    Since breaking onto the sprinting scene in 2009, Al-Harthi has continued to improve his times each year. If he is to build on his personal best of 10.05 clocked at Manama in April, then a place at the Olympics – which requires a time of 10.18 or better – should be secured.

    BUTHAINA AL-YAQOUBI (Oman) – 100M

    One of Oman’s top female prospects, Al-Yaqoubi first rose to prominence as a 17-year-old competing at Beijing 2008.

    A consistent sprinter on the Asian stage, Al-Yaqoubi also claimed victory in the 100m hurdles at the Arab Championships in April and will be looking to further showcase her skills at her second Olympics next summer. The Omani athlete is incredibly the record holder of five events in her country – 200m, 100m hurdles, high jump, long jump and triple jump.

    FEHAID AL-DEEHANI (Kuwait) – SHOOTING

    Fehaid Al-Deehani.

    Al-Deehani’s pair of bronze medals from Sydney and London makes him the only Kuwaiti ever to claim Olympic honours. The target shooter won a silver medal at the Asian Games eleven months ago after being narrowly beaten by Hu Binyuan, and his form in 2015 has been promising.

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