Qatari athlete, Abderrahman Samba, secures third place in the 400m hurdles event.
Qatari Runner Abderrahman Samba Wins Bronze in Men's 400m Hurdles at World Athletics Championships
Abderrahman Samba, a Qatari runner, made history on September 19, 2025, by winning the bronze medal in the men's 400m hurdles at the 20th World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.
The final of the men's 400m hurdles took place on the same day, with Abderrahman Samba competing against some of the world's best athletes. Brazilian Alison dos Santos finished second, taking the silver medal with a time of 46.84 seconds, while American Rai Benjamin clinched the gold with an impressive time of 46.52 seconds.
Defending champion and world record holder Karsten Warholm of Norway finished fifth with a time of 47.58 seconds. Abderrahman Samba's winning time was 47.06 seconds, a season's best for him.
Ismail Dawood, the other Qatari runner in the final, came in eighth place with a time of 49.82 seconds. Besides Abderrahman Samba and Ismail Dawood, the semifinalists in the men's 400m hurdles at the 2025 World Athletics Championships included Emil Agyekum (who finished 6th in the final), Joshua Abuaku (eliminated in heats), and Owe Fischer-Breiholz (did not start in semifinal due to injury).
After winning the bronze medal, Abderrahman Samba expressed his gratitude and pride for his achievement, considering it the result of years of hard work and effort. He stated that Qatar was proving itself as a dominant force in the 400m hurdles in Asia. Samba also noted that the Qatari Athletics Federation was on the right path in the discipline of 400m hurdles, as shown by the presence of three Qatari athletes in the semifinals of the current World Championships.
Samba expressed his hope that the new generation would continue along the same path to eventually achieve gold. Despite aiming for the gold medal, he stated that he was satisfied with winning the bronze and standing on the podium at such a major global event. Samba mentioned that he had been away for a long time and had suffered from injuries, but had managed to return after putting in a great deal of effort in training.
The World Athletics Championships is a global athletics competition that takes place every four years. The 20th edition of the World Athletics Championships is currently being held in Tokyo, Japan. The photo shows Abderrahman Samba celebrating his third-place finish in the men's 400m hurdles final during the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo on September 19, 2025. (Photo by Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP)
