Catch Me If You Can
Athletics Weekly|October 24, 2019
AFTER HER SCINTILLATING 400m WIN IN DOHA, SOME REGARD SALWA EID NASER AS THE DE FACTO WORLD RECORD-HOLDER
Jason Henderson
Catch Me If You Can

WITH one of the most jaw-dropping performances of the IAAF World Championships in Doha, Salwa Eid Naser destroyed favourite Shaunae Miller-Uibo in the 400m to run the third-quickest time in history. After crossing the finish line to take gold, the 21-year-old put her hand over her mouth in disbelief. Then, as the time of 48.14 flashed up on the screen, she screamed in delight.

Only Marita Koch and Jarmila Kratochvilova have run faster over the one-lap distance for women. Koch blitzed to an otherworldly 47.60 at the IAAF World Cup in Australia in 1985 – a performance which has stood as the world record ever since but is tainted due to Koch being part of the systemized doping programme in East Germany. As a fellow eastern bloc athlete from the old Czech Republic, Kratochvilova’s mark of 47.99 when winning the inaugural world title in Helsinki in 1983 is similarly suspicious.

Does Naser not therefore believe she has a claim to be regarded as the world record-holder? “You tell me,” she said in Doha, moments later, as her victory was still sinking in. “Running with these amazing ladies, I don’t think I would have done it alone. Against Shaunae especially, I always run for the best because she is a strong athlete. They pushed me to get this time.”

This story is from the October 24, 2019 edition of Athletics Weekly.

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This story is from the October 24, 2019 edition of Athletics Weekly.

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