Qatar's Abderrahman Samba wins bronze in 400m hurdles

Tokyo: Qatari runner Abderrahman Samba won the bronze medal in the 400m hurdles today at the 20th edition of the World Athletics Championships currently being held in the Japanese capital, Tokyo.

Samba clocked a time of 47.06 seconds, his best of the season, to secure third place and stand on the podium in a remarkable achievement for Qatar.

Qatar's athlete Abderrahman Samba celebrates finishing third in the men's 400m hurdles final during the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo on September 19, 2025. (Photo by Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP)

American Rai Benjamin won the gold medal, recording his season’s best time of 46.52 seconds, ahead of Brazilian Alison dos Santos, who took silver with a time of 46.84 seconds. The defending champion and world record holder for this event, Norwegian Karsten Warholm, finished fifth with a time of 47.58 seconds.

The other Qatari runner in the final, Ismail Dawood, came in eighth place with a time of 49.82 seconds.

After the race, Samba expressed his gratitude, saying he was proud of the achievement, which he considered the result of years of hard work and effort. He said that the feeling was truly indescribable.

He also 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.

Although he had aimed 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 further explained that Qatar was proving itself as a dominant force in the 400m hurdles in Asia. He noted that the Qatari Athletics Federation was on the right path in this discipline, as shown by the presence of three Qatari athletes in the semifinals of the current World Championships.

He expressed his hope that the new generation would continue along the same path to eventually achieve gold.