Ismail Al-Sabani
Encyclopedia
Ismail Al-Sabani (born 25 April 1989 in Jeddah
) is a Saudi Arabia
n track and field
athlete who specialises in the 400 metres
.
He began competing internationally at sixteen years old, running in the heats of the 800 metres
at the 2005 World Youth Championships in Athletics
. His first major senior tournament came the following year in the form of the 2006 Asian Games
. Although he was eliminated in the heats of the 400 m, he won the gold medal
in the 4×400 m relay with the Saudi team including Hamdan Odha Al-Bishi, Hamed Hamadan Al-Bishi
and Mohammed Al-Salhi. Al-Sabani secured a second relay gold at the 2007 Asian Athletics Championships and was the youngest athlete in the 400 m final, finishing in seventh. He was selected for the 2007 Pan Arab Games
later in the year and broke 47 seconds for the first time with a personal best run of 46.99 sec in the heats. He also won another gold with the Saudi relay team.
Al-Sabani started the next year at the 2008 Asian Indoor Athletics Championships
and helped the relay team to victory in a Championship record time of 3:14.25. At the 2008 Asian Junior Athletics Championships in Jakarta
he set a new best of 46.33 sec to take the 400 m gold and also won the relay bronze medal. Following this, he competed on the global stage at the 2008 World Junior Championships in Athletics
and reached the semi-finals of the 400 m.
The 2009 season saw him progress into the senior ranks. He took victory at the 2009 Asian Indoor Games
in November with a national indoor record
run of 47.31 sec. He set a second national indoor record the following day, as he helped the Saudi team to the relay gold in a time of 3:10.31 (also a Games record). He won his first outdoor senior medal in the 400 m later that month, finishing behind Liu Xiaosheng
and Yuzo Kanemaru
to take the bronze medal at the 2009 Asian Athletics Championships
. The following year, he started off the Saudi relay team to a gold medal win in national record time (3:02.30 min) at the 2010 Asian Games
.
Jeddah
Jeddah, Jiddah, Jidda, or Jedda is a city located on the coast of the Red Sea and is the major urban center of western Saudi Arabia. It is the largest city in Makkah Province, the largest sea port on the Red Sea, and the second largest city in Saudi Arabia after the capital city, Riyadh. The...
) is a Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
n track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
athlete who specialises in the 400 metres
400 metres
The 400 metres, or 400 metre dash, is a common sprinting event in track and field competitions. It has been featured in the athletics programme at the Summer Olympics since 1896 . On a standard outdoor running track, it is exactly one lap around the track. Runners start in staggered positions and...
.
He began competing internationally at sixteen years old, running in the heats of the 800 metres
800 metres
The 800 meter race is a common track running event. It is the shortest common middle distance track event. The 800 meter is run over two laps of the track and has always been an Olympic event. During indoor track season the event is usually run on a 200 meter track, therefore requiring four laps...
at the 2005 World Youth Championships in Athletics
2005 World Youth Championships in Athletics
The 2005 World Youth Championships in Athletics is the 2005 version of the World Youth Championships in Athletics. It was held in Marrakesh, Morocco.The host stadium was Stade Sidi Youssef Ben Ali.-Boys:-Girls:-Medals table:...
. His first major senior tournament came the following year in the form of the 2006 Asian Games
Athletics at the 2006 Asian Games
An Athletics competition was contested at the 2006 Asian Games in Doha, Qatar from December 7 to December 12. Twenty-three events were contested for the men while 22 were on the slate for the women. Only the 3000 Meter Steeplechase was not contested for by the women...
. Although he was eliminated in the heats of the 400 m, he won the gold medal
Gold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
in the 4×400 m relay with the Saudi team including Hamdan Odha Al-Bishi, Hamed Hamadan Al-Bishi
Hamed Hamadan Al-Bishi
Hamed Hamadan Al-Bishi is a Saudi Arabian track and field athlete who specialises in sprint running. He won a gold medal in 4 x 400 m relay at the 2002 Asian Games and became Asian champion over 200 metres in 2005.-Achievements:...
and Mohammed Al-Salhi. Al-Sabani secured a second relay gold at the 2007 Asian Athletics Championships and was the youngest athlete in the 400 m final, finishing in seventh. He was selected for the 2007 Pan Arab Games
Athletics at the 2007 Pan Arab Games
At the 2007 Pan Arab Games, the athletics events were held at the Military Academy Stadium in Cairo, Egypt from 21 to 24 November 2007. A total of 46 events were contested, of which 23 by male and 23 by female athletes. Morocco was the most successful nation in the competition, taking ten gold...
later in the year and broke 47 seconds for the first time with a personal best run of 46.99 sec in the heats. He also won another gold with the Saudi relay team.
Al-Sabani started the next year at the 2008 Asian Indoor Athletics Championships
2008 Asian Indoor Athletics Championships
The 2008 Asian Indoor Athletics Championships was an international indoor athletics event took place in Doha, Qatar, between 14 and 16 February.-Men:-Women:-Medal table:-Participating nations:...
and helped the relay team to victory in a Championship record time of 3:14.25. At the 2008 Asian Junior Athletics Championships in Jakarta
Jakarta
Jakarta is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Officially known as the Special Capital Territory of Jakarta, it is located on the northwest coast of Java, has an area of , and a population of 9,580,000. Jakarta is the country's economic, cultural and political centre...
he set a new best of 46.33 sec to take the 400 m gold and also won the relay bronze medal. Following this, he competed on the global stage at the 2008 World Junior Championships in Athletics
2008 World Junior Championships in Athletics
The 2008 World Junior Championships in Athletics is the 2008 version of the World Junior Championships in Athletics. It was held in Bydgoszcz in Poland at the Zdzisław Krzyszkowiak Stadium between 8 and 13 July 2008....
and reached the semi-finals of the 400 m.
The 2009 season saw him progress into the senior ranks. He took victory at the 2009 Asian Indoor Games
Indoor athletics at the 2009 Asian Indoor Games
Indoor athletics at the 2009 Asian Indoor Games was held in My Dinh Indoor Athletics Gymnasium, Hanoi, Vietnam from 31 October to 2 November 2009....
in November with a national indoor record
Saudi Arabian records in athletics
The following are the national records in athletics in Saudi Arabia maintained by the Saudi Arabian Athletics Federation .-Men:-Women:-Men:-Women:-External links:* *...
run of 47.31 sec. He set a second national indoor record the following day, as he helped the Saudi team to the relay gold in a time of 3:10.31 (also a Games record). He won his first outdoor senior medal in the 400 m later that month, finishing behind Liu Xiaosheng
Liu Xiaosheng
Liu Xiaosheng is a Chinese sprinter who specializes in the 400 metres.He represented his country at the 2008 Summer Olympics.His personal best time is 45.79 seconds, achieved in June 2007 in Suzhou....
and Yuzo Kanemaru
Yuzo Kanemaru
is a male Japanese sprinter. He set his 400 metres personal best at the 2009 Osaka Grand Prix, finishing in 45.16 seconds.-Competition record:-Personal bests:*100 metres – 10.32 s *200 metres – 20.69 s *400 metres – 45.16 s...
to take the bronze medal at the 2009 Asian Athletics Championships
2009 Asian Athletics Championships
The 18th Asian Athletics Championships were held in Guangzhou, China in 2009.- Track :- Field :- Track :- Field :- Medal table :-References:*. IAAF . Retrieved on 2011-07-09.*. IAAF . Retrieved on 2011-07-09....
. The following year, he started off the Saudi relay team to a gold medal win in national record time (3:02.30 min) at the 2010 Asian Games
Athletics at the 2010 Asian Games
Athletics at the 2010 Asian Games was held in Guangzhou, China from 21 to 27 November 2010. A total of 47 events were contested, 24 by men and 23 by women - matching the Olympic athletics programme...
.