Elseify went on to finish sixth at the Rio Games – his first ever participation in the flagship event, and has only gained momentum since. Last May, he snagged a bronze medal in the Islamic Solidarity Games in Baku.
“In Rio I learned that I should not be afraid. At the start of the competition I was afraid and stressed, but I learned how to conquer those feelings. I learned to be more focused and to trust myself,” Elseify said.
Since Rio, Qatar’s rising hammer thrower has dedicated his time to perfecting his skill. Ashraf has spent a large part of the season so far in training camps — one in USA for two months, another in Africa for one month, and recently two camps in Poland — all to be ready to represent Qatar against some of the best athletes ever in London 2017, the third biggest sporting event in the world.
Speaking ahead of his participation in London, Elseify said, “I feel incredibly proud and excited to compete in London and I hope to represent Qatar to the absolute best of my abilities. The Qatar Athletics Federation has always supported me on all levels and in every way – I am extremely grateful for that and I hope to make Qatar proud.”
The cornerstone of Elseify’s approach to sporting success is his unshakable commitment to the fundamentals: “There are three things any champion should always be committed to maintain their performance and improve: train well, sleep well, and eat well. The most important thing in training is to have a clear and organised schedule and to have a clear goal and to just keep training.”
His hammer throw dreams will not stop at winning a medal in London. The Aspire Academy graduate aims to continue building on his success at every major athletics event, eventually leading him to his ultimate ambition — breaking the world record.
Speaking on his career, Elseify said: “I’m satisfied with my performance so far, although I wanted to win medals in my previous competitions. I have so much optimism in my new coach and I’m really keen to achieve greater success. I will work hard to win a medal in the next IAAF World Athletics Championships Doha 2019, and in Tokyo 2020 Olympics, but my ultimate goal is to break the world record.”
Augmenting Elseify’s drive and focus on his sport is his family, who have supported him every step of the way.
“My family always encourage me to do my best. They provide me with everything I need in the house, they prepare my food and they understand what an athlete needs. My mother always keeps up with my competitions and she watches me on TV,” he said, adding, “They are my biggest motivation.”
Elseify was scheduled to compete in the hammer throw qualification round yesterday, with the final to take place on Saturday.