ZURICH: Qatar’s Bassem Hemeida won the men’s 400 metres hurdles at the Bellinzona athletics meeting in Switzerland on Sunday, clocking a season-best 47.56 seconds.
Hemeida broke the 48-second barrier for the first time this season, improving on the 48.17 he recorded at last week’s Lausanne Diamond League meeting.
The victory adds to Hemeida’s preparations for next month’s Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan, where he is expected to be among Qatar’s leading athletics contenders.
His participation in international competitions across the Diamond League and other high-level meetings forms part of the Qatar Athletics Federation’s programme to prepare its athletes for the continental championships.
The 400m hurdles specialist is also part of Qatar’s 4x400m relay team, giving him an additional role as the country builds towards the Asian Games.
Hemeida’s latest performance represents a significant improvement from his previous outing and provides a boost ahead of the multi-sport event.
Qatar’s athletics team is using a series of international competitions to gain competitive experience and sharpen preparations before the Asian Games, which will bring together leading athletes from across Asia
