A star-studded, eight-member team – bannered by five current and former women’s world champions – will be flying the Bahrain flag in the highly anticipated athletics events at the Paris Olympic Games 2024.
Reigning 3,000 metres steeplechase world champion Winfred Yavi, 2019 400m world champion Salwa Eid Naser, 2016 400m world indoor champion Kemi Adekoya, 2017 marathon world champion Rose Chelimo, and 2013 1,500m world youth champion Tigist Gashaw will all be going for gold in their respective events at the French capital.
They will be joined by three other world-class runners in Eunice Chumba, Nelly Jepkosgei, and Birhanu Balew.
Aside from the five world titles between them, all of the kingdom’s athletes have also bagged multiple medals at the continental, Arab, and Gulf levels, but this time will be gunning for Olympic success.
Naser
The squad list was confirmed yesterday by the Bahrain Athletics Association (BAA). The BAA noted that these eight athletes have all qualified for Paris by achieving the Olympic entry standards in their events. The qualification period through this route ended on Sunday. However, athletes have another way to secure a place in France, which is through their World Athletics Ranking. This will be decided by July 7, when another Bahraini athlete or two may possibly get the nod to participate in the Olympics.
The athletics events at this summer’s Games are scheduled to take place August 1 to 11.
Yavi will be going for gold in the women’s 3,000m steeplechase. She is one of the favourites in the event, having claimed her maiden world title last year, amongst her other major global accolades. Naser will be running in the women’s 400m. The 26-year-old is a talented sprinter who is considered to be a leading contender in her event. Adekoya is another highly touted sprinter, who will be aiming to step onto the women’s 400m hurdles podium for Bahrain.
Both Chelimo and Gashaw will be among three Bahrainis that will compete in the women’s marathon at the Olympics. They will be joined by Chumba in their bid to conquer the 42.2km race distance.
Jepkosgei will be running in the women’s 800m for Bahrain, while rounding up the kingdom’s star athletes is Balew, who will be racing in the men’s 5,000m.
Bahrain’s elite athletes have captured medals in the last three Olympic Games. Now-retired Maryam Yusuf Jamal captured the kingdom’s first-ever Olympic medal – and first-ever Olympic gold – in the women’s 1,500m at the 2012 London Olympics. It was also the maiden Olympic medal won by a woman athlete from the Gulf states.
In 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Ruth Jebet clinched a women’s steeplechase gold and Eunice Kirwa a women’s marathon silver; and then in 2021 in Tokyo, Kalkidan Gezahegne captured silver in the women’s 10,000m.
Athletics is one of five sports Bahrain has currently qualified for at the upcoming Olympics. The others are judo, wrestling, swimming, and weightlifting.patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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