BAHRAIN will be aiming to make a good start tonight on the opening day of the 2017 IAAF World Championships in London.
Two of the kingdom’s leading elite athletes will be showcasing their talents during the day’s programme.
Long-distance specialist Abraham Naibei Cheroben will be competing in the men’s 10,000 metres final, scheduled for 11.20pm, Bahrain time.
Sprinter Andrew Fisher will also be flying the Bahraini flag. He is expected to run in the men’s 100m heats. These are scheduled to start at 10.20pm, Bahrain time.
In the 10,000m final, Cheroben will be the lone Bahraini participant. He will be up against 23 other medal hopefuls from around the world, including Somali-born Briton and hometown favourite Mo Farah, who is the reigning World and Olympic champion.
Cheroben heads into the 10,000m final with a personal best mark of 27 minutes 31.86 seconds. He has a season’s top mark of 27:38.76.
Preliminary
Meanwhile, in the men’s 100m, there will be a preliminary round of racing before the men’s 100m heats. Fisher will be competing directly in the heats.
Fisher has a personal best of 9.94s in the 100m, while his season’s best is 10.12s.
Should he advance to the semi-finals, he will be back in action on Saturday at 9.05pm, Bahrain time. Advancing to the final will see Fisher go for gold at 11.45pm.
Cheroben and Fisher are just two of the 22-strong Bahrain squad who have been named by the Bahrain Athletics Association to go for gold at this year’s world championships, which are taking place at the 55,000-capacity London Stadium at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, the venue of the 2012 Olympic Games.
This year’s IAAF World Championships is the 16th edition of the biennial competition, which is organised by the sport’s governing body, the international Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF).