MUSCAT: Oman’s star sprinter Ali al Balushi will head off to Kujawy city, Poland on Wednesday accompanied with his coach Fahad al Mashaikhi to take part at the World Athletics Indoor Championships which is scheduled to take place in Poland from March 20 to 22.
Ali will take part in the Men’s 60 metres event which will start on Friday by heats competition while semifinal and final rounds will be held on the following day. The 24 years old is entering this international event with a record of 6.50 seconds as his personal best and 6.52 seconds as seasonal best.
The competition will feature 345 men and 329 women, with many of the sport’s biggest stars among those entered. A total of 674 athletes from 118 member federations are set to compete at the global indoor showpiece.
Al Balushi completed his preparatory camps ahead of the globe event and he is all set for the event. “I have completed several training sessions under direct supervision of the head coach Fahad al Mashaikhi. I feel that I have reached the best readiness level but and I am still warming up ahead of the commencement of the competition in Poland. Before few months, I had a strong European indoor season and now I am aiming to achieve a special result at the World Championships despite the expected tough competition. I would like to thank everyone who is supporting me including the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth (MoCSY), Oman Athletics Association (OAA) and the sponsors,” Al Balushi told Oman Observer.
The men’s 60 metres race event is expected to be highly competitive with leading names such as Jordan Anthony, Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson and Britain’s defending champion Jeremiah Azu among the top contenders. Despite the strong field, al Balushi will remain focused on delivering his best performance and gaining valuable experience at the highest level of international athletics.
The Omani sprinter's morale is very high ahead of taking part at the global championship besides his strong confidence after delivering a series of impressive performances across top indoor meets in Europe. His campaign included a gold medal at the Madrid Indoor Meeting, where he clocked 6.53 seconds in the final, as well as a first-place finish at the Paris Indoor Meeting with a time of 6.52 seconds. He also secured second place at the Karlsruhe Indoor Meeting in Germany, one of the World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold events, with a time of 6.54 seconds.
Al Balushi maintained consistent performances in other competitions, including a runner-up finish at the Miramas Indoor Meeting in France and a fifth-place result at the Bauhaus Indoor Meeting in Sweden. These results underline his growing technical level and readiness to compete among the world’s best sprinters. Following his European tour, Al Balushi continued his preparations through an overseas training programme in Germany and Türkiye as part of his final build-up for the global event.
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