Dubai: Emirati sprinter Omar Juma Bilal Al Salfa made history by becoming the first UAE and Arab athlete to reach the quarterfinals of an IAAF World Championships.
Al Salfa qualified for the 200-metre quarterfinals clocking 20.94 seconds and finishing fifth in the first session in Berlin Tuesday.
Al Salfa starts as an outsider in Heat 2, which was scheduled to be held late yesterday, and was expected to run alongside stars like Britain's Marlon Devonish and Shawn Crawford of the United States.
The 19-year-old set his personal best time of 20.72 seconds at the 12th GCC Athletics Championships in Al Qatif, Saudi Arabia, in April. If he makes the semifinal, he could live a dream and run alongside Olympic champion and 200-metre world record holder Usain Bolt of Jamaica.
Sa'ad Al Mehri, General Secretary of the UAE Athletics Federation, said: "This is the first time an athlete from the Arab world has gone this far in a world championship, so Omar has done not only us, but the entire Arab world proud. We hope he can get through the second round and do even better and Inshallah we'll see what happens. We are expecting a lot from Omar, and he is starting to deliver."
AP
Omar Juma Bilal Al Salfa
