Abdelaziz, Barrow showcase Qatar’s bright future

The future looks bright for Qatar athletics, with less than 12 months to go for the 2019 World Championships in Doha.At the Youth Olympic Games on Tuesday, sprinters Abdelaziz Mohamed and Owaab Barrow gave a peek into the future en route to winning gold medals in Buenos Aires. In the men’s 200m, Abdelaziz recorded a second personal best and his second race win of the Games to collect gold. A relaxed runner, the Qatar athlete was smooth off the bend and won with clear daylight in 20.68 seconds. Abdelaziz’s combined time after two races was 41.78 seconds, ahead of Jamaica’s Antonio Watson (42.41) and Brazil’s Lucas Vilar Conceicao (42.61). “Wow. I am magic,” the 16-year-old said after the race, clearly delighted with his victory. On next year’s world championships at him, he declared: “I want to win!”  Barrow recorded a personal best of 13.17 seconds for his second stage win in the men’s 110m hurdles, confirming Qatar’s second gold. After two races, Barrow topped the timesheet in 26.50 seconds. France’s Kenny Fletcher and Hong Kong’s Lok Hei Addis Wong completed the podium with times of 27.01 and 27.13.Abdelaziz and Barrow had also won at the Asian Youth Championship in Thailand. Khaled al-Marri, deputy director of the Qatar Athletics Federation hailed the achievement of the duo.“It’s a pride moment for Qatar athletics and youth of the country in general. I hope they continue to shine and do well at the senior events too. I also want to laud the efforts of the coaching and medical staff, which helped Abdelaziz and Barrow during the last few days,” he said.  Abdullah Hashim, Director of the Qatari delegation, also expressed his happiness.“Participating at the Youth Olympic Games is an education for young athletes and to add a medal to your name is just a bonus. I am proud of Abdelaziz and Barrow, they have shown what we can expect from them in the future. Not just the athletes, but the whole Qatar delegation worked hard during this championship,” he said.Aspire Academy student-athlete Barrow described his win as great motivation in his preparation for upcoming international competitions, including the Doha 2019 IAAF World Championships.“It’s been a really good season. I competed in the World Championships, where I reached the semi-finals, and I won gold at the Youth Olympics, which is a big step,” he said.“Winning the gold medal in the Youth Olympics was my biggest target for the season. Accomplishing that with a gold medal was pure happiness and that winning feeling helps me push myself harder.”Ivan Bravo, the Director General of Aspire Academy, congratulated Owaab on his accomplishments, saying: “Owaab’s achievements are the result of the cooperation agreement between the Qatar Athletics Federation (QAF) and Aspire Academy. Now in its third year, this unifying vision improves athletes and gives them access to world-class experience, facilities and training at Aspire Academy.”Lee Christopher, Sprints, Hurdles and Relay Coach at Aspire Academy and Owwab’s coach, said: “Owaab is very experienced in racing in different climates. He raced in East Asia and various places in Europe in the cold. He is ready and able to compete in any environment. This was a nice step forward for him and hopefully he can use it as a springboard onto even better things”.Aspire Academy’s Head Coach for Athletics, Tom Crick, said: “I am looking forward to seeing Owaab compete for Qatar at Khalifa International Stadium next year. Over the past year, Aspire has been working closely with the QAF to develop a 4x100m relay programme that will give up-and-coming sprinters like Owaab an opportunity to compete.”