tag

Australia’s Olympic and world champion pole vaulter Nina Kennedy has pulled out of this month’s World Athletics Championships in Tokyo because of a leg injury.Kennedy, who last year became the first Australian woman to win Olympic gold in a field event, underwent hamstring surgery in April after three strains in six weeks.Despite not having competed since September last year, Kennedy said last week that she was determined to defend her title in Japan on a wildcard.Another injury setback forced her to reassess, however.“Not the news I want to be sharing,” the 28-year-old wrote in an Instagram post Friday.“I’ve strained a muscle in my leg in one of my last sessions before worlds (not near the surgery site, which is a win). I’m sad to say I will be withdrawing from the world championships.“Even though I’m disappointed, I’m proud of myself for trying to get back and put myself in the best position to jump high at worlds. I can genuinely say I did everything I could, I gave it a red-hot crack and that in itself is a measure of success. Sport can be brutal, but injuries are just part of the journey, and that’s okay.”Kennedy cleared 4.90 metres to win the world title in Budapest in 2023, the same height that won her Olympic gold in Paris last year. Her personal best is 4.91m.

The Qatar Athletics Federation has set up a training camp in Narita, Japan, to help national team athletes acclimatise ahead of the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo this September.The camp includes qualified track and field athletes and coaching staff, with others expected to join upon meeting qualification standards.The Federation aims to maximise its representation at the event and continue Qatar’s success on the world stage.Top names like Abderrahman Samba, Ammar Ismail, Bassem Hemeida, Ashraf Othman, and Hatem Hamid are already confirmed. More athletes are pursuing qualification through IAAF-sanctioned meets in Europe.The World Championships will take place in Tokyo from 13–21 September 2025, featuring over 2,000 athletes from around 200 countries across the globe.

Qatar’s athletics team added four more medals including one gold, two silver, and a bronze on Tuesday at the 11th Arab U-18 Athletics Championship in Tunisia, bringing their total to five with one day of competition remaining.Younis al-Balushi led the charge with gold in the pole vault, while teammate Abdullah Al Abdullah secured silver in the same event.Timo Jumaa clocked 10.76 seconds to take silver in the 100m sprint, and Saleh Mahmoud added a bronze in the discus throw to his earlier gold in shot put.

Qatari athlete Saleh Mahmoud clinched the gold medal in the shot put event at the 11th Arab Junior Athletics Championships, currently taking place in the Tunisian capital and running through August 27. The championship features athletes from 15 Arab nations.Mahmoud won first place and the gold medal in the competition, setting a new personal best with a throw of 17.85m.This gold medal is the first for the Qatari team, which is represented by ten athletes competing across multiple events: Samer Hussein in the 1500m race, Timo Jumaa in the 100m and 200m races, Idris Abkar and Hussein Mohammed in the 110m hurdles, Abdulrazzaq Idris and Abkar Idris in the 400m hurdles, Mubarak Saeed in the 1500m race, Abdullah Al Abdullah and Younes Al Baloushi in the pole vault, and Saleh Mahmoud in the shot put and discus throw.The Qatari team is aiming for winning many medals and competing for first place in the championship.