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Emirati sprinter Hassan Al Noobi Al Hammadi concluded the UAE’s Olympic campaign in Tokyo on a high. Showcasing an impressive performance during the 100-meter competition as UAE’s 2020 Tokyo Games campaign ended on July 31, he clocked 10.59 seconds to finish third in the first preliminary heat. Meanwhile, Barakat Al Harthi (10.27 seconds) of Oman came first while Emanuel Archibald (10.30 seconds) of Guyana took the second spot.
After securing a place in the second round, Al Noobi’s wildcard entry to Tokyo ended with a time of 10.64 seconds. Despite bowing out of the Games, Al Noobi, who prepared for them at a training camp in Bulgaria, was delighted with his efforts “Participating in the Olympics is the dream of every athlete and I am happy with my performance and second round finish… I wanted to do my best and I’m really overwhelmed to run a personal best time at the Olympics. It has been such an incredible day’s work for me. I think I kept the UAE flag’s respect,” he said, adding, “I couldn’t improve my timing in the second heat. I think that effort to run a personal best in the first heat and the two false starts in the second round took everything away. However, I’m very happy to return home with my efforts.”
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The national-level champion said he has many people to thank, especially the National Olympic Committee, the UAE Athletics Federation, Sharjah Sports Council, and all those that supported him to attain the honor. “What I achieved in the Games in Tokyo will motivate me to improve my performance. I want to prepare harder for the future events and bring medals for the country,” Al Noobi stated.
The runner was the last of the five athletes in UAE’s Olympic squad at the Games after Moldovan-born judokas Victor Scvortov and Ivan Remarenco, shooter Saif bin Futtais, and swimmer Yousuf Al Matrooshi. Futtais kicked off the UAE’s campaign in skeet shooting and bowed out of the competition after finishing 24th, and Remarenco lost to Canadian judoka Shady El Nahas, while Scvortov was defeated by Tommy Macias. Finally, Al Matrooshi, who was also the UAE flag-bearer at the opening ceremony, finished third in the 100m freestyle heats.
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