Qatar’s Ashraf finishes ninth in hammer throw
Asian Games champion fails to produce his best, yet takes some positives out of his performance on the big stage.
Qatar’s Ashraf Amjad El Saify during the hammer throw final at the World Championships on Wednesday. IQ Photo: Vinod DivakaranQatar’s challenge on the sixth day of the IAAF World Championships ended early, with Ashraf Amjad El Saify finishing ninth in men’s hammer throw.
The 24-year-old had a best throw of 75.41M in the final, won by Poland’s Pawel Fajdek (80.50M) for a record fourth time. France’s Quentin Bigot (78.19) and Hungary’s Bence Halasz (78.18) finished second and third.
The Qatari, who had progressed from the qualification round as the 12th-best thrower with a 76.22M heave, could not produce the same effort when it mattered most.
In the final, the former double World Under-20 champion (2012 and ’14) began with a 75.28M hurl and improved it to 75.41M in the second round.
Needing to hurl the hammer beyond 76M to progress to the final three attempts as one of the top eight contestants, the Qatari could manage only 75.09M. He chose to take the positives out of the show.
“I’d suffered a back injury earlier this year, so the ninth-place isn’t too bad. The atmosphere inside the stadium was fantastic, and I enjoyed it. I’m confident I can qualify and do a much better job at next year’s Tokyo Olympics,” the reigning Asian Games champion told Inside Qatar.
Ashraf, who set a national record of 78.19M in ’16, had only one regret on the night.
“It was amazing to see so many of my countrymen support me. I wish I could’ve won a medal to make them happy. I’ll try my best not to disappoint them in the future,” he said.
