Adil al Balushi

Paris, July 31:

Omani sprinter, Mazoon al Alawi, will be eyeing a solid show in her third Olympic appearance as she competes in the preliminary heats of the women’s 100m race at Stade de France on Friday.

Al Alawi, the fastest Omani woman competed in Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

In her last Olympics, she finished sixth with a timing of 12.35sec in the preliminary heats of Group 3. At Rio 2016 Olympics she clocked 12.43sec.

Meanwhile, young sprinter Ali al Balushi will make his Olympic debut on Saturday in the men’s 100m race at the same venue which will host the athletic events. Al Balushi will eye a promising performance and impressive timing despite the tough competition.

Entering the race with high spirits, Al Balushi is determined to represent Oman honourably in the Olympics.

Both athletes are having their daily training sessions on the main track to adapt to the competition environment ahead of the challenge in the coming days.

Intensive programme for Ali

National head coach Fahad al Mashaykhi, overseeing the preparation and training of Al Balushi, stated that his preparatory and technical programme started in August 2023.

“The goal was to develop the required speed for such races starting with indoor races over shorter distances. We treated 60m indoor race during a training camp in Turkey last January breaking Omani record with a timing of 6.58 seconds,” he said.

“Ali took part in several overseas camps, competitions and events including the Asian Indoor Athletics Championships in Iran where he won in 6.50sec to set both Omani and Gulf records.

 “From March to April, the training was at Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex in Muscat. After that Ali participated in international athletics meets including the Grand Prix in Dubai and a few camps in Europe including two camps in Greece, one in the Czech Republic and one in Germany — achieving his best time of 10.17 seconds.”

“He participated at the West Asian Championships in Iraq last May followed by camps in France, Italy, and Antalya in Turkey. Then, he competed at the Arab Youth Championships in Egypt where he managed to win two gold medals with a timing of 10.00sec in the 100m event and 20.68sec in 200m,” he said

Positive outing

Oman shooter Said al Khatri’s debut appearance in the Olympic Games was positive and significant, said national shooting team manager Saud al Abadi.

“Al Khatri competed alongside top-ranked shooters from around the world. Despite the final result, Khatri’s presence in the Olympics is a strong addition to his career as it will help him improve his international ranking,” said Al Abadi.

Khatri finished in 30th place in the preliminary qualifiers for the men’s trap event with 114 points. Over two days, he competed in five rounds at the main range of the Châteauroux Shooting Center.

On the first day, he scored 70 points, with 23 points in the first round, a perfect 25 in the second while he struggled in the third with 22 points. On the second day, he scored 21 points in the fourth round and 23 points in the fifth round.

“Olympic participation will contribute immensely to his sporting journey and will enhance his international ranking. This progress will place him in a favourable position in future international events and championships where he will strive to prove his worth and benefit from the experience,” he said