Naser to contest 400m in Diamond League final as Yavi withdraws

TDT | Manama

Email : hussainm@newsofbahrain.com

Bahrain’s Salwa Eid Naser will be the country’s sole representative at this week’s Wanda Diamond League final in Zurich after Winfred Yavi opted to skip the season-ending event.

Naser, the 2024 Olympic silver medallist and former world champion, has qualified for the women’s 400 metres. She is part of an eight-strong field that includes reigning Olympic and world champion Marileidy Paulino of the Dominican Republic. Other competitors are Natalia Bukowiecka (Poland), Amber Anning (Great Britain), Henriette Jaeger (Norway), Lieke Klaver (Netherlands), Martina Weil (Chile) and Isabella Whittaker (US).

Her race is scheduled for Thursday at 7:34pm Bahrain time.

Yavi, the world and Olympic steeplechase champion, had secured a place in the women’s 3,000m steeplechase but was absent from the final entry list. A Bahrain Athletics Association official confirmed she is prioritising preparations for the World Championships in Tokyo from 13 to 21 September, where she will defend her title.

Long-distance runner Birhanu Balew also qualified for the final in the men’s 5,000m but will not feature, as the event has been omitted from this year’s Zurich programme.

The Wanda Diamond League is track and field’s premier one-day meeting series, culminating in the final where athletes compete for the prestigious Diamond Trophy. Bahrain athletes have won five such titles to date: Naser twice, Yavi once, and Rio 2016 Olympic champion Ruth Jebet twice.