Alkass English
Qatar’s men’s 4x400m relay team came up just short in a dramatic heat at the World Athletics Relays in Guangzhou, China, falling short of direct qualification for the World Championships in Tokyo this September.
The team — Abderrahman Samba, Bassem Hemeida, Ashraf Hussen Osman, and Ammar Ismail Yahia Ibrahim — finished third in a tightly contested race, clocking 3:03.97 behind Belgium (3:01.35) and Great Britain (3:01.38). Only the top two advanced to the final and secured automatic World Championship spots.
Qatar will get another opportunity in Sunday’s additional qualifying rounds, where the top two teams from each heat will punch their tickets to Tokyo. If unsuccessful, the team can still qualify via world rankings, with the top two non-qualified teams based on performance during the February 2024 to August 2025 window earning the final spots.
In a thrilling final leg of the heat, Ibrahim made a bold attempt to split between Belgium’s Alexander Doom and Britain’s Charlie Dobson, but the move didn’t pay off as the two powered home side by side, leaving Qatar just behind.