Dubai: The President of the UAE Athletics Federation (UAE AF) is confident that his small squad of seven will once again lead the way for the UAE at the 2018 Asian Games jointly hosted in Jakarta and Palembang later this month.
“Once again Alia [Saeed Mohammad] will be the main hope for the UAE as she tries to become the first woman to defend her Asian title,” Ahmad Al Kamali, President, UAE AF and Executive Council Member of the IAAF told Gulf News.
“While much of the expectations will be centred on Alia as she tries for a double in the 5,000 metres and the 10,000 metres run, the remaining six track and field are also capable of coming up with medal-worthy performances,” he added.
Four years back, Alia won the 10,000 metres gold in Incheon setting a new national record of 31:51.86 minutes while finishing ahead of China’s Ding Changqin and Japanese Ayumi Hagiwara.
