Al-Garni qualifies for 1500m semis

Qatari distance runners Hamza Driouch and Mohamed al-Garni easily qualified for the semi-finals of the men’s 1500m on the opening day of competitions in athletics at the imposing Olympic Stadium. Driouch, just 17, finished heat 2 of round 1 in second spot behind Saudi runner Mohamed Shaween after leading the pack of 15 for most part of the race. The Qatari teen finished with a time of 3mins:39.67secs. Shaween, who was struggling until the last 100m, timed his last leg perfectly, edging the Qatari to the finish line. Shaween finished with a time of 3:39.42. Tanui Ilham Ozbilen of Turkey (3:39.70) finished in third spot. The fourth athlete to qualify was Kenya’s Silas Kiplagat (3:39.79) while Canada’s Nathan Brannen (3:39.95) was the fifth fastest runner. The last one to qualify from heat 2 was Britain’s Andrew Baddeley (3:40.34). Qatar’s al-Garni, who was leading the pack until the last bend, ended in fifth spot with a time of 3:36.99. The last berth from heat 1 was sealed by America’s Leonel Manzano (3:37.00). Khalifa Abdul Malik, team manager with the Qatari athletes at the London Games, said: “We are happy with their performance. These two athletes are very talented and can do well for a long time to come. I am sure they would employ different tactics in the semi-finals. They have been injury free and in good form.” The Qatari athletes will be seen in action tomorrow. The final of the 1500m will be held on Thursday. Earlier, what should have been an historic debut turned into sheer despair for Qatar’s Noor al-Malki as hobbled off the Olympic Stadium track after an injury put a premature end to her first run at the Olympics. The 17-year-old, who was competing in the 100m heat, pulled a hamstring in the first 10m and collapsed. The young athlete - Qatar’s first female track and field entry in the Olympic Games - broke into tears and looked in obvious pain when helped to move away from the track in a wheelchair. Al-Malki said: “I feel frustrated that I have to say goodbye to the Games in such a fashion. I am deeply saddened at what happened. I had been training long and hard. Injuries happen in sport but mine happened at a bad time.” BBC athletics commentator Steve Cram, commentating on al-Malki’s disastrous race, said: “It’s a tragic situation for her.” From: Gulf Times