Abdullah Al-Qwabani (born 2 March 1999) is a male Yemeni

long-distance runner Long-distance running, or endurance running, is a form of continuous running over distances of at least . Physiologically, it is largely Aerobic exercise, aerobic in nature and requires stamina as well as mental strength. Within endurance ru ...

. He competed in the 5000 metres event at the

2015 World Championships in Athletics The 2015 IAAF World Championships ( zh, 第十五届世界田径锦标赛), the fifteenth edition of the IAAF World Championships, were held from 22 to 30 August at the National Stadium in Beijing, China. Forty-three nations won medals, 144 of ...

in Beijing, China. Al-Qwabani began training in 2014, only one year before his first global championship, while he was still in school. He got his start in running through a development program by the

IAAF World Athletics, formerly known as the International Amateur Athletic Federation and International Association of Athletics Federations and formerly abbreviated as the IAAF, is the international sports governing body, governing body for the sport ...

. He aimed to study medicine after his athletic career was over. At the World Championships, Al-Qwabani received widespread media attention for running his entire 5000 m heat

barefoot Being barefoot is the state of not wearing any footwear. There are health benefits and some risks associated with going barefoot. Shoes, while they offer protection, can limit the flexibility, strength, and mobility of the foot and can lead ...

. Despite finishing in last place, Al-Qwabani's performance was lauded and contrasted with the approach of

Mo Farah Sir Mohamed Muktar Jama Farah (born Hussein Abdi Kahin; 23 March 1983) is a Somali-British former long-distance runner. Considered one of the greatest runners of all time, his ten global championship gold medals (four Olympic and six World tit ...

in his heat. He did not speak English or Chinese and had to communicate with media using an Arabic translation app on his phone. His time of 16:02.55 was a

personal best A personal record, or a personal best (abbreviated to PB), is an individual's best performance in a given sporting discipline. It is most commonly found in athletic sports, such as track and field, other forms of running, swimming and weightlifting ...

. He said after, "I love running barefoot. It feels so good to touch the ground". Spectators cheered on his performance, and it was compared to that of

Abebe Bikila ''Shambel'' Abebe Bikila (; August 7, 1932 – October 25, 1973) was an Ethiopian marathon runner who was a back-to-back Olympic marathon champion. He was the first Ethiopian Olympic gold medalist, winning his first gold medal at the 1960 S ...

and

Zola Budd Zola Budd (also known as Zola Pieterse; born 26 May 1966) is a South African Middle-distance running, middle-distance and Long-distance running, long-distance runner. She competed at the 1984 Summer Olympics, 1984 Olympic Games for Great Britain ...

. He was said to have almost been run over as the field lapped him. Fellow competitor

Caleb Ndiku Caleb Mwangangi Ndiku (born 9 October 1992 in Machakos) is a Kenyan middle- and long-distance runner. Career Born in Machakos, he was the son of a javelin thrower, David Ndiku, but he decided not to follow his father and focused on running in ...

said of him after the race, "He looks quite young and needs more experience ..But he can become a good one". In 2017, he competed in the junior men's race at the

2017 IAAF World Cross Country Championships The 2017 IAAF World Cross Country Championships was hosted in the city of Kampala, Uganda's capital. This 42nd edition was held on 26 March 2017. The venue was Kampala Airport, commonly known as Kololo airstrip, or officially, the Kololo Ceremon ...

held in Kampala, Uganda.

References

* Place of birth missing (living people) 1999 births Living people Yemeni male long-distance runners World Athletics Championships athletes for Yemen Yemeni male cross country runners 21st-century Yemeni people {{Yemen-athletics-bio-stub

See also

References