Bahrain’s Champions Ready for Tokyo

TDT | Manama

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Eight athletes ready for championship action

Bahrain’s athletics team has arrived in Tokyo ahead of the 2025 World Athletics Championships. The Bahrain Olympic Committee (BOC) shared the full schedule, outlining events for the eight-athlete squad. The team covers sprints, hurdles, middle-distance, and long-distance races, with Salwa Eid Naser’s 400m campaign at the center of the schedule.

Salwa Eid Naser Leads Sprints

Bahrain's superstar sprinter Salwa Eid Naser has arrived in Tokyo ahead of her gold medal bid at the World Athletics Championships, which gets underway tomorrow. She travelled with fellow-athletes Deborah Rodriguez from Uruguay and Liranyi Alonso from the Dominican Republic, along with her coach Jose Ludwig Rubio.

Naser is set to compete in the women’s 400 metres. She was the 2019 world champion and the Paris 2024 Olympics silver medallist. She will first run in her heats on Saturday, with the semi-finals on Monday and the final on Wednesday. Naser did not compete in the 2023 World Championships in Budapest due to injury.

The 27-year-old arrives fresh from securing her third Diamond Trophy last month in Zurich at the Wanda Diamond League final, where she outperformed reigning world and Olympic champion Marileidy Paulino of the Dominican Republic.

Kemi Adekoya Targets Hurdles

Kemi Adekoya will compete in the women’s 400m hurdles, with heats on September 15, semi-finals on September 17, and the final on September 19. She faces a competitive field including Femke Bol and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone.

Adekoya, 2016 world indoor champion, brings international experience and is considered a strong medal contender for Bahrain in the hurdles.

Marathon and Middle-Distance Races

Bahrain’s long-distance campaign includes Eunice Chumba Shete and Shitaye Eshete in the women’s marathon on September 14.  

In middle-distance, Nelly Jepkosgei will contest the women’s 800m, with heats on September 18 and the final on September 21. Tigest Gashaw, a former under-18 world champion, supports relay events and provides additional depth for the team.

Steeplechase and Men’s 5000m

Winfred Yavi, reigning Olympic and world champion in the 3000m steeplechase, runs heats on September 17 and the final on September 19. She is among the favourites to retain her title.

Birhanu Balew represents Bahrain in the men’s 5000m, with heats on September 19 and the final on September 21.