Reigning Asian champion Alia Saeed breaks her UAE record in 10,000m at the President’s Cup

Jay Asser 10:23 24/04/2016
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  • The Emirati crossed the finish line behind Ethiopian winner Belaynesh Oljira, but clocked a time of 31:10.25 in the long-distance event at Dubai Police Officers Club, surpassing her previous national record of 31:51.86, which she set in Incheon in 2014.

    Saeed’s compatriot, 1,500m and 5,000m specialist Betlhem Belayneh, helped the 24-year-old raise the bar by setting the pace with a brisk run before dropping out less than midway through the race.

    Despite reaching new heights and having already qualified in the 10,000m for the Rio Olympics this summer, Saeed is striving for further improvement.

    “My fastest time before was 31:52, so to get 31:10 is a big difference,” Saeed said. “I will do more than this, Inshallah.”

    Saeed’s coach, Jama Aden, was encouraged by his pupil’s performance and believes competition against athletes of Oljira’s ilk will only push Saeed to do better.

    “She needs this kind of competition. She went against Belaynesh Oljira, who’s been in the World Championships and won today, but it was very close. I think this is what Alia needs.”

    Ahmad Al Kamali, president of the UAE Athletics Federation, said of Saeed: “This is showing that our girl is doing very well. It’s a new  national record and was bettered by 40-odd seconds.

    “We are hoping in three, four months, she’ll be in a few strong races, especially 5,000m and 3,000m in the Diamond League, to be ready for the Olympics.”

    Oljira, meanwhile, didn’t disappoint the hoards of Ethiopian fans in attendance and gave their cheers meaning with a run of 31:04.59.

    Though she earned the gold medal, the 25-year-old, who won bronze in the 10,000m in the Moscow World Championships in 2013, has even higher hopes. “My target is not 31 minutes, it’s 30:30 or 30:25. It’s possible when I try in another competition,” Oljira said.

    On the club side, Al Ahli were crowned champions of the two-day event and hoisted the President’s Cup with a total of 6,524 points.

    After trailing Al Nasr by 183 points heading into the second day, Ahli pushed ahead with wins in events such as the 400m hurdles and 5,000m to claim the silverware.

    Al Kamali praised the event, saying: “We’ll repeat this event every year because people like it and it will give more people a chance to attend. The crowd was good and we hope in the future, it will bring more kids and more athletes.”

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