| 3rd Arab Youth Athletics Championships | |
|---|---|
| Host city | Aleppo, Syria |
| Date(s) | 22–24 July |
| Level | Youth |
| Participation | 15 nations |
| Events | 38 |
| Records set | 11 championship records |
The 2009 Arab Youth Athletics Championships was the third edition of the international athletics competition for under-18 athletes from Arab countries. Organised by the Arab Athletic Federation, it took place in the Syrian city of Aleppo from 22–24 July. A total of thirty-eight events were contested, of which 20 by male and 18 by female athletes. The difference was accounted for by the lack of steeplechase and pole vault events for girls (the latter being dropped from the tournament due to a lack of entries). [1] [2]
The Arab Youth Athletics Championships is an biennial international athletics competition between youth athletes (under-18) from Arabic countries. It is organised by the Arab Athletic Association.
Aleppo is a city in Syria, serving as the capital of the Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Syrian governorate. With an official population of 4.6 million in 2010, Aleppo was the largest Syrian city before the Syrian Civil War; however, now Aleppo is probably the second-largest city in Syria after the capital Damascus.
The steeplechase is an obstacle race in athletics, which derives its name from the steeplechase in horse racing. The foremost version of the event is the 3000 metres steeplechase. The 2000 metres steeplechase is the next most common distance. The 1900 Olympics featured a 2500 metres steeplechase and a 4000 metres steeplechase, and a 2590 metres steeplechase was held at the 1904 Olympics. A 1000 metres steeplechase is occasionally used in youth athletics.
Contents
As in 2007, Morocco and Bahrain – typically strong in the sport regionally – did not participate. Egypt topped the table for a second time running, winning eight gold medals in its haul of thirteen. Sudan had the next highest number of event winners, with seven. Algeria had the highest overall medal count, at 22 medals (four gold), and were followed by this ranking by the host nation, which took 20 medals (five gold). Tunisia also performed well, with five gold medals and a total of ten. Thirteen of the five nations present at the competition reached medal table. [2]
A total of eleven championship records were broken at the competition. Awad El Karim Makki of Sudan set new records in both the boys' 200 metres and 400 metres events – defending the two titles he had won in 2007. Syria's Hamid Mansour also achieved a title defence and new record, doing so in the boys' discus throw, and managed to create a double by winning the shot put as well. Three girls managed individual doubles: Abir Barkaoui of Tunisia won the 200 m and 400 m, while Egypt's Fadia Saad Ibrahim and Rana Ahmed Taha swept the throws, taking the shot put/discus and javelin throw/hammer throw, respectively. [2]
Awad El Karim Makki is a Sudanese sprinter.
The 200 metres is a sprint running event. On an outdoor race 400 m track, the race begins on the curve and ends on the home straight, so a combination of techniques are needed to successfully run the race. A slightly shorter race, called the stadion and run on a straight track, was the first recorded event at the ancient Olympic Games. The 200 m places more emphasis on speed endurance than shorter sprint distances as athletes predominantly rely on anaerobic energy system during the 200 m sprint.
The 400 metres, or 400 metre dash, is a sprinting event in track and field competitions. It has been featured in the athletics programme at the Summer Olympics since 1896 for men and since 1964 for women. On a standard outdoor running track, it is one lap around the track. Runners start in staggered positions and race in separate lanes for the entire course. In many countries, athletes previously competed in the 440 yard dash (402.336 m)—which is a quarter of a mile and was referred to as the 'quarter-mile'—instead of the 400 m (437.445 yards), though this distance is now obsolete.
Makki of Sudan went on to win a medal at the 2009 World Youth Championships in Athletics, being the only 2009 Arab medallist to do so. Qatar's Mohammed Al-Garni later reached the 1500 m podium at the 2010 World Junior Championships in Athletics. Egyptians Rana Ahmed Taha and Wedian Moktar Abdelhamid claimed senior titles at the 2011 Arab Athletics Championships while their compatriot Fadia Saad Ibrahim became a senior Arab gold medallist in 2013. [3] [4]
The 2009 World Youth Championships in Athletics is the sixth edition of the IAAF World Youth Championships in Athletics. They were held at Brixen-Bressanone Sport Arena in Brixen, Italy from 8–12 July 2009. Athletes had to be aged 16 or 17 on 31 December 2009 to compete.
The 13th World Junior Championships in Athletics was an international athletics competition for athletes under the age of 20 which was held at the Moncton Stadium in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada from 19–25 July 2010. A total of 44 athletics events were contested at the Championships, 22 by male and 22 by female athletes. It was the second time that the event took place in Canada, after the 1988 edition in Sudbury. This became the last event announced by Scott Davis.
The 2011 Arab Athletics Championships was the seventeenth edition of the international athletics competition between Arab countries which took place in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates from 26–29 October.
