MUSCAT: Oman’s national sprinter Ali bin Anwar al Balushi wrapped up his participation at the World Athletics Indoor Championships which concluded on Sunday in Poland. The 24-year old athlete’s journey finished in the semifinals of men’s 60 metres event at heat one as he was positioned in the sixth place with a timing of 6.61 seconds.
In the overall results of three heats of the semifinals, Al Balushi ended in 16th place out of 24 sprinters. In the finals, the American runner Jordan Anthony clinched the gold medal as he took the first place with a season's best timing of 6.41 seconds while Kishane Thompson from Jamaica took the silver medal in 6.45 seconds registering a personal best. USA's Trayvon Bromell claimed the bronze in 6.45 seconds.
Earlier on Friday, Al Balushi secured a slot in the semifinals of men’s 60 metres sprint following his impressive show in the Round 1 of Heats 5 as he finished second in 6.62 seconds while Jamaican racer Kishane Thompson earned first place with a timing of 6.56 seconds. Italy's Filippo Randazzo was third in 6.63 seconds.
In the overall and summary of all the seven heats, Ali was 20th out of 49 sprinters. The list was topped by Trayvon Bromell (6.52 seconds) from USA while Belgian sprinter Simon Verherstraeten was second in 6.53 seconds while Bryan Levell from Jamaica came in third with a timing of 6.53 seconds.
The World Athletics Indoor Championships features participation of 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 taking part in the competition.
Ali al Balushi will shift his focus now towards the sixth Asian Beach Games which will be held in Sanya, China, from April 22 to 30, 2026. This event is one of Asia's premier multi-sport competitions, featuring 17 disciplines including: beach athletics, water sports, 3x3 beach basketball, beach handball and other beach sports.
There are two other assignments for national athletics team including: West Asian Athletics Championship which will take place in Bahrain during April 16 to 19 and Arabian Athletics Championship which will be held in Tunisia from April 26 to 30.
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