Viner to make senior bow
HANNAH Viner will represent England at senior level for the first time this weekend in Rennes when she takes on international athletes from France and Portugal, as well as separate teams from Brittany, Rennes and Cornwall, in the Sobhi Sport 10K. “Becoming an England senior was always my goal,” said Viner, who ran for the under-23 team at the same event in 2018, “but it was a surprise and an honour to receive this vest right at the beginning of my senior career.”
At the World Championships in Doha, even a season’s best of 45.54 could not prevent Australia captain Steve Solomon from finishing last in his 400m semi-final. He faced further disappointment three days later as he and his team-mates failed to qualify for the 4x400m relay final.
Israel’s team also had a disappointing end to the championships after Girmaw Amare, Maru Teferi and Haimro Almaya all withdrew from the men’s marathon due to illness or injury. In addition to the six-strong Israel team, two other athletes travelled from Israel to compete in Doha. Jamal Eisa Mohammed and Tachlowini Gabriyesos raced for the Athlete Refugee Team (ART) in the 5,000m, recording times of 14:15.32 and 14:28.11 respectively. Mohammed, 23 and from Sudan, trains in Tel Aviv, while 21-year-old Gabriyesos, from Eritrea, is based in Netanya. Both arrived in Israel nearly ten years ago as unaccompanied minors and now receive IOC-funded scholarships. They hope to represent ART at the Tokyo Olympics, but will have to wait until next June to learn whether they have been selected.