ATHLETICS – Bahrain's Paris 2024 Olympics silver-medallist and ex-world champion Salwa Eid Naser posted her season’s best in the women’s 400 metres yesterday en route to a strong runner-up finish at Grand Prix Brescia in Italy.
The meeting was a silver-level event on this year’s World Athletics Continental Tour.
Naser put in an impressive run in her race, leading the eight-runner field as they headed into the home straight.
But the 28-year-old Bahraini was narrowly pipped at the line by Jamaica’s Nickisha Pryce, who triumphed in 49.27 seconds.
Naser clocked the same time for her best mark of this year’s outdoor athletics season, but the victory was awarded to Pryce in the tight photo finish.
Stacey Ann Williams, also from Jamaica, followed in third in 49.92s, while Natalia Bukowiecka from Poland finished fourth in 50.13s.
Completing the classification from fifth through eighth, respectively, were Martina Weil (50.39s) of Chile, Alexis Holmes (50.95s) from the US, her compatriot Paris Peoples (51.77s), and Sophia Favalli (54.71s) from Italy.
Naser’s season’s best yesterday beat her old fastest time this year of 49.57s, which she registered at the Silesia Diamond League meeting in Poland last weekend.
Her personal best in the distance remains 48.14s, which is an Asian and Bahraini record.
Brescia marked only Naser’s fourth international race of 2026, and third in the 400m.
Prior to yesterday’s run, the 2019 world champion competed and won the women’s 200m at the International Wieslaw Maniak Memorial in Poland with a time of 23.31s.
She made her season debut in May in the Doha Diamond League meeting in Qatar, but was out of competition since.
Naser was the sole Bahraini athlete competing yesterday in Brescia.
She was recently named as one of the leading medal hopefuls in a 34-strong athletics national team that will be flying the kingdom’s flag at the 20th Asian Games in Aichi and Nagoya, Japan, starting next month.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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