Samba targets medal after reaching semis
Paris: Qatar’s Abderrahman Samba qualified for the semi-finals of the 400m hurdles at the Paris Olympic Games yesterday. At the Stade de France stadium, Samba came third running in Heat 2 alongside Norwegian world and Olympic record holder Karsten Warholm in a time of 48.35 seconds.
Warholm won the heat in an impressive 47.57 secs, while France’s Clement Ducos was second in 47.69 ahead of Samba. Both Warholm and Ducos are considered strong contenders for the medals, alongside Brazil’s Alison Santos and America’s Rai Benjamin. In the semis, Samba – who has struggled with injuries in recent times – will have to be at his best if he has to progress into the final.
Samba made his return from the recent lay-off at the Stockholm Diamond League in June clocking 49.69 secs. But he showed improvement winning the Meeting Madrid with a time of 47.97. In July, he clocked 48.27 at Monaco Diamond League.
The two-time Asian Games champion and 2019 World Championships bronze medallists though was confident of not just qualifying for the final but also winning a medal. Samba had finished fifth in Tokyo Olympics. “I’m happy with this result. Good preparation for the semi-final is crucial to achieve my goal of winning a medal. The semi-final race will be more challenging. I hope for success in the semi-final and to achieve the best time to get one step closer to the desired goal,” the 28-year-old said.
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