Abdullah Al-Qwabani
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | 2 March 1999 Aden, Yemen |
| Sport | |
| Country |  Yemen |
| Sport | Track and field |
| Event | long-distance running |
| Updated on 29 August 2015 | |
Abdullah Al-Qwabani (born 2 March 1999) is a male Yemeni long-distance runner. He competed in the 5000 metres event at the 2015 World Championships in Athletics in Beijing, China.[1]
Al-Qwabani began training in 2014, only one year before his first global championship, while he was still in school.[2] He got his start in running through a development program by the IAAF.[3][4] He aimed to study medicine after his athletic career was over.[5]
At the World Championships, Al-Qwabani received widespread media attention for running his entire 5000 m heat barefoot.[6][7] Despite finishing in last place, Al-Qwabani's performance was lauded and contrasted with the approach of Mo Farah in his heat. He did not speak English or Chinese and had to communicate with media using an Arabic translation app on his phone.[8]
His time of 16:02.55 was a personal best. He said after, "I love running barefoot. It feels so good to touch the ground".[9][10] Spectators cheered on his performance, and it was compared to that of Abebe Bikila and Zola Budd. He was said to have almost been run over as the field lapped him.[11] Fellow competitor Caleb Ndiku said of him after the race, "He looks quite young and needs more experience [...] But he can become a good one".[12]
In 2017, he competed in the junior men's race at the 2017 IAAF World Cross Country Championships held in Kampala, Uganda.[13]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Men's 5000 metres heats results" (PDF). IAAF. Retrieved 29 August 2015.
- ^ "说说跑马界的"赤脚大仙"们". sohu.com (in Chinese). Retrieved 7 March 2025.
- ^ "Xinhua 2015 World Championships coverage". xinhuanet.com. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Jemens Barfuß-Läufer Al-Qwabani: Raus mit viel Applaus!". fr.de (in German). Retrieved 7 March 2025.
- ^ "Corre descalzo y se gana el cariño del público". excelsior.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 7 March 2025.
- ^ "The athlete runs 5000 meters barefoot at the World Championships (Video)". telegrafi.com.
- ^ "The athlete runs 5000 meters barefoot at the World Championships (Video)". telegrafi.com.
- ^ "The barefoot Yemeni who made his country proud". alarabiya.net.
- ^ "Yemeni Athlete Runs Men's 5000m Barefoot in Beijing 2015". Morocco World News. Retrieved 7 March 2025.
- ^ "World Championships Latest: Bare Foot Yemeni Sets PB in 5,000". newindianexpress.com.
- ^ "Barbeint 16-åring sjarmerte friidrettsverdenen". nrk.no (in Norwegian). Retrieved 7 March 2025.
- ^ "Barfuß zum Liebling der Fans". sport1.de (in German). Retrieved 7 March 2025.
- ^ "Junior men's race" (PDF). 2017 IAAF World Cross Country Championships. Archived (PDF) from the original on 5 July 2020. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
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