No stopping ‘Samba dance’ as Abderrahman sets another set of 400M hurdles records
Qatar’s Abderrahman Samba’s record-breaking spree continued yesterday as he stormed to victory in the 400M hurdles at the Stockholm Diamond League meeting, reported Gulf Times.
The 400m hurdles specialists clocked 47.41sec to create new Asian, Diamond League and Meeting records and maintain his unbeaten run in the ongoing season.
“I was looking for something big and I got that today, I’m very happy and excited for the rest of the season,” Samba was quoted as saying by The Peninsula.
With the win, Samba broke his own Asian and Diamond League records set just over a week ago in Rome, Italy.
It was his fourth straight win in the prestigious competition after he dazzled crowds in Doha, Rome and Oslo raising expectations of a gold medal for Qatar at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
“The weather wasn’t great — it was windy on the back straight so that made us push too hard, but it was no problem and it was amazing to get the IAAF Diamond League record and a personal best today,” he said.
The 22-year-old scorched the Olympic Stadium track, beat world champion and local hero Karsten Warholm for a third straight time. Warholm also posted his personal best and a national record at 47.81. London worlds silver medallist Yasmani Copello from Turkey came third with a 48.91.
With this triumph, Samba leads the Road to the Finals with 32 points. Yasmani follows him with 23, while Warholm has 21, reported Qatar Tribune.
Both Samba and Warholm are loving the fledgling rivalry and the Qatari runner said, “It’s been great racing with in the last three races (with Warholm). It makes it more fun and more exciting. Now I’ll get back to training and I might compete in Paris at the next IAAF Diamond League meeting.”
Samba's record-breaking spree began on May 4 in his home leg in Doha when he came home in 47.57 to replace American Bershawn Jackson’s DL and meet records (47.62)
In Oslo, Samba bettered another of Jackson’s meet record of 47.65 with 47.60. And today, he lowered his DL and Asian mark further.
Now the protege of South African coach Hennie Kotze is on the cusp of securing his fifth consecutive sub-48-second performance in as many races. The last 400M hurdler to achieve such a feat was Derrick Adkins way back in 1995.
