Ogunode and Barsham shine for hosts Qatar

Qatar’s wonder boys Femi Ogunode and Essa Moataz Ahmed Barsham made the country proud by finishing second and third in men’s 200m and men’s high jump events respectively, at the Diamond League here yesterday. Ogunode was not only quick off the block but also looked well in control till the last 50m before United States’ Walter Dix overtook him for the top spot. Finishing third was Jaysuma Ndure Saidy of Norway. Dix crossed the finish line with a timing of 20.06secs, while Ogunode set the new national record of 20.30secs. “I tried to speed up but lost my rhythm in the last 50m. There is always a next time. Anyways I feel great running in front of my people and it was good to break a record here. It is great a motivation. I’m proud to represent Qatar and I’m planning to run both the 200m and 400m at the world championships,” said a jubilant Ogunode after his brilliant run. Ogunode grabbed the spotlight last November when the 19-year-old became the second man in Asian Games history to take the 200-400m double in Guangzhou with remarkable times of 20.43 and 45.12secs. He enjoyed his first international success with a sprint double two months earlier at the West Asian Championships in Aleppo, Syria, including a 100m national junior record of 10.25secs and his first sub 21-second run over 200m. “I’m confident of going a long way. I’m ready to do all the hard work and I will do whatever my coach tells me to do. This is just the beginning and I have a long way to go. I’m ready to compete with the world’s best,” added Ogunode. Teenager Barsham, who made a breakthrough last year by winning all the available continental or global junior titles in high jump, also made his presence felt straight away in front of the home crowd. He cleared the 2.31m mark on the third attempt to equal the national record set at the Asian Junior Championships last year to finish third. “I didn’t expect to jump 2.31m. I had expected to jump a maximum of 2.30m. I can better and jump up to 2.36 this season. I’m extremely pleased with the result. I will continue to work hard and keep improving,” said a beaming Barsham during the press briefing. The top place was bagged by Jesse Williams of United States with a jump of 2.33m, while Kyriakos Ioannou of Cyprus claimed the second.