Salwa out of athletics worlds with injury

TDT | Manama    

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

The Bahrain Athletics Association (BAA) confirmed yesterday that Bahrain’s former world champion sprinter Salwa Eid Naser not be participating in the World Athletics Championships 2023, which get underway today in Budapest.

BAA technical manager Tahar Righi told TDT that Salwa is nursing a hamstring tendon injury, which will prevent her from competing and going for gold in the women’s 400 metres.

The 25-year-old was to be one of Bahrain’s leading hopefuls for a medal at this year’s worlds, aiming for a repeat of her 2019 world title success.

Salwa had a strong outdoor season prior to her injury. She had run the eighth-fastest time in the world over the distance of 49.78 seconds last May, although is still far from her personal best of 48.14s.

Bahrain will now complete with a five-athlete squad in the worlds.

The team features two other former world champions, namely 2017 women’s marathon gold medal winner Rose Chelimo and 2016 world indoor champion in the women’s 400m Oluwakemi Adekoya.

The Bahrain team also includes former Asian Games gold-medallist and two-time Asian champion Winfred Yavi; ex-Asian Games gold-medallist and Asian champion Birhanu Balew, and long-distance specialist Abdi Ali Gelelchu.

Rose will be going for another gold in the women’s marathon, while Oluwakemi will be competing in the women’s 400m hurdles.

Winfred will run the women’s 3,000m steeplechase, while Balew will be contesting two distances—the men’s 5,000m and men’s 10,000m.

Gelelchu will be aiming to surprise the field in the men’s marathon.