By Fawad Hussain-The Peninsula
With stakes high at the IAAF World Athletics Championships Doha 2019, athletes eyeing glory in the Qatari capital are leaving no stone unturned in their preparations as they have hit the training track and field facilities in challenging conditions in Doha.
While the event’s venue – the iconic Khalifa International Stadium – offering the state-of-the-art cooling system, athletes from the participating nations continued to break a sweat at sub-training facilities to give final touches to their preparations for the big challenge.
Star-studded US contingent, looking to extend their dominance at the Worlds, got cracking at Qatar Sports Club Stadium under lights, with several members of the team taking part in the session.
The 141-athlete USA squad comprises of eight world champions and 13 Rio Olympic gold medalists. US sprint sensation – Noah Lyles – the 2019 Diamond League champion (200m) also joined his team-mates in the session.
“It’s race week! @IAAFDoha2019 begins on Friday! I’m excited for another opportunity to put on the USA uniform and test myself against the best in the world,” team USA’s middle-distance runner Courtney Frerichs tweeted.
The American athletes are scheduled to hold a press conference at the Khalifa International Stadium today.
Meanwhile, teams looking to challenge the mighty Americans, are also preparing extensively for the September 27 to October 6 event.
Jamaican superstar Yohan Blake, who heads for a tough 100m fight against Christian Coleman and Justin Gatlin, and other promising sprinters, are also undergoing extensive training sessions.
“To be honest I am like a lizard. I don’t really sweat but here in Doha, Qatar I am dripping wet,” Blake joked in a tweet.
However, British runner Amy Allcock praised the facilities provided by the Local Organising Committee (LOC), saying his team was having a good time while training in hot conditions.
“I am excited, it’s my first World Championships so everything has been exciting – learning new things and training on a new place and in hot weather. It’s lovely to have amazing facilities and train with the team will really help,” she said.
When the IAAF World Athletics Championships open today, Qatar will make history as the Gulf state will become the first Arab country to host the prestigious event, dubbed as the third biggest sports show.
The competition has attracted around 3,000 athletes, representing 213 countries. The LOC has already announced the readiness for the mega event while the security arrangements are also in place.
Pakistan Athletics Federation President Maj Gen (R) Muhammad Akram Sahi was astonished with the facilities and arrangements for the event, praising the Vice-President of the IAAF and Head of the LOC of 2019 World Athletics Championships, Dahlan Al Hamad and his team.
“Qatar has done a wonderful job. They have a very good infrastructure and the facilities here are state-of-the-art,” Sahi, who is competing in elections for a seat in IAAF Council today, told The Peninsula.
“The IAAF Vice President Mr Dahlan has great services for athletics and his team has done a fine job with.”
“Not just the athletes, even officials like us are excited before the event. We are looking forward to a blockbuster event,” the IAAF member said before hoping for successful midnight marathons during the championships at Doha Corniche.
“It’s something we haven’t seen it before, and we hope this innovation will be very successful,” he added.
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