UAE set modest goals in athletics

Doha: Fat'hallah Abdullah, manager of the UAE athletics team, said that it will not be easy for their athletes to win medals in the two events which they are taking part in today at the Khalifa Stadium in Doha.

"We will take part in the triple jump finals with Mohammad Abbas representing us and the 4x400m relay finals, where the UAE quartet will comprise Jasim Saeed, Ali Al Buloushi, Abdullah Rashid and Hamad Khamis Gazwan," he said yesterday.

Mohammad Abbas's personal best in the triple jump is 15:66 metres - far less than the other athletes in the fray. For example, Qatari Ebrahim Babikir's best personal is 17:15 metres and he is one of the favourites to win the gold along with other jumpers from Korea, China and Kazakhstan.

No comparison

The relay team's personal best is 3.15:11, once again more than the medal favourites from Japan, India, Qatar and Sri Lanka.

"We are participating in only two events where which we think our athletes can compete to reach the finals and achieve good results. We cannot think of competing in the middle and long distance races, because most of the countries are taking part with runners from Africa after granting them the respective nationalities," he said.

Fat'hallah praised the UAE athletes' showing in bodybuilding, shooting, equestrian and bowling. "I am happy that these medals have been achieved by the homegrown UAE athletes," the official said.