24 Jan 2024
Aspire Academy graduate Saeed Al-Absi has set a new Qatar record for the indoor 60m hurdles as the 2024 athletics season gets underway.
The 2023 Aspire Academy graduate, who represents Al Ahli Sports Club in Qatar, is in Europe competing at indoor meetings along with Al Gharrafa’s Tosin Ogunode, with both sprinters being coached by Aspire Academy’s Lee Christopher.
Al-Absi ran a time of 7.78 seconds at the Aarhus Sprint ‘n’ Jump meeting in Denmark to surpass the record of 7.81s, set by Aspire Academy’s Athletics Head of Team Coordinators section and Qatar former sprinter, Mohamed Essa Al-Thawadi in 2009.
Both Al-Absi and Ogunode are aiming to be chosen by the Qatar Athletics Federation to represent the nation at the Paris Olympics later this year.
Meanwhile, a total of 21 Aspire Academy student-athletes and graduates are leaving this week for training camps in South Africa and Saudi Arabia.
The endurance athletes are travelling for altitude training in the Saudi Arabian city of Taif, which is 1800 metres above sea level in the Hijaz Mountains.
Aspire’s throwers and jumpers will be in the South African cities of Stellenbosch and Jumps in Potchefstroom respectively, as they prepare for the year ahead.
This year’s main objective for many of the student-athletes will be qualifying to compete at the World Under-20 Athletics Championships which begins in Peru on 26 August.