Francis sizzles with 100m gold on comeback

Qatar’s Samuel Francis (maroon) stands on the podium as he poses with Qatar Athletics Federation chief Dahlan al-Hamad and other athletes after winning the 100m gold at the GCC Athletics Championships yesterday.

By Anil John/Doha

Qatar’s Samuel Francis made an impressive comeback after an injury lay-off, powering to the 100m gold in the GCC Athletics Championships at the Khalifa Stadium yesterday.

The Nigeria-born athlete, who became a naturalised Qatari in 2007, clocked an impressive 9.99 seconds to comfortably finish ahead of Oman’s Barakat al-Harisi (10.13) and Saudi Hammoud al-Alouni (10.34) on a pleasant evening in Doha.

However, the time clocked by Francis was disputed by the athlete himself, who claimed that the electronic monitor showed him crossing the finish line in 10.19 seconds.

The discrepancy resulted from the fact that the official time was calculated by a handheld device, which is rarely used these days in top-class competitions. Francis, however, was happy with his show, coming back as he is after more than two years in the cold nursing leg and muscle injuries.

“I finished with a time of 10.19 seconds,” Francis said referring to the time on the electronic monitor. “I expected a better result but I am happy with his win because I’ve been out for quite long.”

Ironically, 9.99 seconds is the standing Asian record set by Francis at the Asian Athletics Championships in Amman in 2007.

Francis, whose last big meet was the 2010 Asian Indoors where he won the 100m gold, said his rehabilitation was on track and he looked forward to improving his fitness for the bigger challenges ahead.

“Sitting out for so long was obviously frustrating, but I’ve been working very hard on my fitness, developing my muscle strength and keeping focused,” added the 26-year-old.

Of the five events among the seniors held yesterday, Samuels’ gold was the only title claimed by Qatar. Saudi Arabia claimed three gold, while one was bagged by Oman.

Ismail al-Sibiani of Saudi Arabia took the 400m title with ease, outpacing Ahmed al-Mujahi and Osman al-Busaidi of Oman.

Al-Sibiani clocked 46.09 seconds, while al-Mujahi and al-Busaidi finished in 46.74 and 47.26 respectively

Abdulla Gamidi of Saudi Arabia won the gold in the javelin with a throw of 68.71 metres, while Mohamed Gaeda of Qatar took silver with 67.25 and Abdulla Omairi of Kuwait the bronze (66.59).

Saudi Arabia’s third gold was delivered by Sltan al-Habshi in the shot put with a haul of 19.26m. Kuwait’s Mushari Sadd (18.78) and UAE’s Ahmed al-Hassan (16.42) claimed silver and bronze respectively.