Al Balushi among top Asian 20 sprinters in men’s 100m

MUSCAT, MAY 25
Oman’s sprinter Ali al Balushi earned a place among the top 20 Asian athletes in the Men’s 100 metres for under-20 category after his impressive national and regional record performance continued to stand among the continent’s elite timings. The ranking list, which includes the best Asian Under-20 records achieved between January 1, 2020 and May 24, 2026, placed the Omani sprinter in the 19th position following his outstanding time of 10.27 seconds recorded during the World Athletics U20 Championships in Nairobi, Kenya on August 18, 2021. Ali’s achievement remains the national Under-20 record in the Men’s 100m event and continues to highlight the growing level of Omani athletics on the continental stage. The Asian list is topped by Thailand’s Puripol Boonson, who made history after clocking a remarkable 9.94 seconds during the heats of the Men’s 100m event at the Southeast Asian Games in Bangkok on December 11, 2025. Japan’s young sprint sensation Sorato Shimizu ranked second on the list after producing a stunning performance of exactly 10.00 seconds during the Inter High School Championships in Hiroshima, Japan on July 26, 2025. China’s He Jinxian secured third position with a timing of 10.06 seconds, which he achieved during the Chinese Athletics Championships in Rizhao, Shandong on June 29, 2024.
Ali al Balushi has managed to continue his impressive rise in regional and international athletics during the current season following a series of outstanding performances in Gulf, Asian and European competitions. Recently, the Omani sprinter delivered a dominant performance at the GCC Sports Games in Doha after clinching gold medals in both the Men’s 100m and 200m events. He also played a key role in guiding Oman’s relay squad to the gold medal in the 4x100m event, further confirming his status as one of the Gulf region’s leading sprinters. Also, al Balushi managed to clinch the gold medal at the 2025 Islamic Solidarity Games in Riyadh, with clocking a time of 10.30 seconds in last November.
Earlier this year, Ali represented Oman at the World Athletics Indoor Championships where he reached the semifinals of the Men’s 60m event. Competing in Heat One, he finished sixth with a time of 6.61 seconds. Overall, he concluded the championship in 16th place among 24 international sprinters.
During the first quarter of 2026, Ali also participated in several prestigious indoor meetings across Europe, where he achieved remarkable results against strong international competition. His European campaign included winning the gold medal at the Madrid Indoor Meeting after clocking 6.53 seconds in the final. He also secured first place at the Paris Indoor Meeting with a timing of 6.52 seconds. Additionally, the Omani athlete finished second at the Karlsruhe Indoor Meeting in Germany, one of the World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold events, after recording 6.54 seconds. Ali maintained consistent performances throughout the indoor season, including a runner-up finish at the Miramas Indoor Meeting in France and a fifth-place finish at the Bauhaus Indoor Meeting in Sweden.