24 Mar 2025
Aspire Academy-trained Oumar Abakar impressed at his first-ever senior global event with a new Qatar national record for the 60-metre hurdles at the World Indoor Championships in Nanjing, China.
The 20-year-old broke his own record by 0.01 seconds on Saturday in the semi-finals of the event, setting a new mark of 7.66 seconds.
It was his second race of the day, having qualified earlier from the heats, where he came up against the Olympic champion over 110m, Grant Holloway from the USA, who went on to win the gold medal.
His Aspire Academy coach, Lee Christopher, is delighted with Abakar’s development not only physically but also psychologically.
“During his trip to Europe, he actually surpassed our expectations in terms of how he managed all of these things,” the coach said.
“These major championships are always about delivering when it matters most, and he did just that with a personal best and national record in the semi-final, ultimately placing him tenth at the World Indoor Championships.
“This achievement is not only due to the hard work he has been putting in physically but also to the mental preparation he has been working on, including how to control himself during warm-ups and how to prepare himself properly.”
“Another lesson from Nanjing was that was just the next step for Oumar. He has gone through the junior categories and performed well, and now it is time to step up, and that’s how he is preparing.”
“It was a huge experience for him to understand his position relative to the rest of the world, and he knows he's really in the game now, which will give him a big boost in confidence.”
“Now, we must keep working hard and preparing to represent Qatar at the highest levels. Ultimately, the goal is to go to the World Championships in Tokyo in September.
“Along the way, there are the Asian Championships, where he can see how high he can place himself and aim for a medal. There are also the Arab Championships at the start of May. It would be incredible to see Oumar compete on home soil at this year’s Doha Diamond League.”
Abakar is now back in Qatar to continue his preparations at Aspire Academy for the outdoor season with the ultimate goal of qualifying for September’s World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.
His continued success, under the expert coaching of Aspire Academy’s Lee Christopher, is a testament to the close collaboration between the Academy and the Qatar Athletics Federation in developing athletes who can compete at the highest levels.