ATHLETICS – THREE of Bahrain’s elite athletes put on impressive performances in international meetings held in different countries around the world on Sunday.
Desi Jisa Mokonin, Abdelrahman Mahmoud and Bontu Edao Rebitu all showed their class against some of the best in track and field.
Mokonin clocked a new personal best while finishing as runner-up in the women’s 10-kilometre road race in Chon Buri, Thailand, held as part of the Bangsaen10 event. Mahmoud claimed second place in the men’s shot put at the 38th Meeting International Montgeron-Essone in France, while Rebitu clocked her season’s best en route to finishing 11th in the women’s 5,000m at the Meeting International Mohammed VI d’Athletisme de Rabat/Marrakech in Morocco.
All three athletes are amongst the top in their disciplines amongst members of the kingdom’s athletics national team.
In Thailand, Mokonin put in a strong challenge for the victory but came up just short in the end. She completed the run in a total time of 32 minutes 54 seconds, just one second behind winner Bertukan Welde of Ethiopia. Welde’s compatriot Lemlem Nibret took the other podium place in 33:07.
It was Mokonin’s first 10km run of the season. She had also raced in the Seoul Marathon in South Korea in March, where she took second place.
Her time was a new individual record in the distance, beating her previous fastest mark of 33:01, which she set in 2017 in Bengaluru, India.
The Bangsaen10 was a World Athletics Label Road Race, Elite standard.
Meanwhile, in France, Mahmoud claimed his runner-up finish with a best throw of 19.78 metres. Silas Ristl of Germany took first place with a 19.93m effort, and Franck Elemba of France was third at 19.31m.
The Montgeron meeting was Mahmoud’s fourth competitive appearance of the season. He had earlier taken two wins in Turkey in April, before placing fifth in a UAE meet earlier this month. His mark was far from his personal best in the men’s shot put of 21.15m, which is a standing Bahrain record that he set in 2021.
The 38th Meeting International Montgeron-Essone was a World Athletics Continental Tour Bronze-level competition.
In Marrakech, Rebitu was running in a Wanda Diamond League meeting – a top-tier one-day athletics competition under the sport’s international governing body, World Athletics.
Taking on the best in the world in the distance, Rebitu finished in 15 minutes 49.07 seconds, which was her quickest so far in 2024. She was well behind victor Medina Eisa of Ethiopia, who won in 14:34.16. Her countrywoman Fotyen Tesfay followed closely behind in 14:34.21, while Edinah Jebitok of Kenya came third in 14:35.64.
It was only Rebitu’s second track appearance of the season, having also competed in a French meet in Decines-Charpieu earlier this month and a 5km road race in March in Lille.
Her personal best over 5,000m is 15:02.22, which she set last year in Algeria.
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