Olympic qualifying plans on track despite setback, official says

Dubai: Down, but not out, at least not yet. This is the message Ahmad Al Kamali, president of the UAE Athletic Federation, sought to convey after the UAE's two hopefuls failed to make the qualifying time in the 5,000 metres for the Olympic Games.

"We tried, knowing very well that we may or may not succeed. Tonight we did not make it, but there is still time for them to improve on their times and qualify with A-standard times for the Games," Al Kamali told Gulf News.

Confident start

Both UAE runners paced themselves well at the start of the race, with Aliah Saeed Mohammad holding her own in the mid-pack even as Bethlehem Desalegn Belayneh tried to push her way ahead. However, Veronica Nyaruai Wanjiru of Kenya surged ahead with six laps remaining to end with a fantastic time of 15 minutes, 17.141 seconds.

The UAE duo finished in fourth and fifth with times of 15:43.291 and 15:49.441 — well below the B-standard time of 15:30 set for the London Games.

"We still have a big hope from our two athletes," Al Kamali insisted.

"There are two more months to go and we will continue with the plan we have in mind for them," he added.

Should one or both UAE runners qualify for London, it will be the first time ever that a track and field athlete from the country would have made it on merit to an Olympic Games.

The UAE has often relied on invitations to make its presence felt at the summer Games.

Next assignment

The next assignment for the two UAE athletes will be the 3,000 metres at the Doha Championships on May 11.

"We had hoped that we would have a qualifier tonight, but that did not happen. So this does not mean that we will not do what we have planned. It's just a question of altering our plans a bit," Al Kamali said.