London, July 22, 2018 - World bronze medallist Abdalleleh Haroun of Qatar produced a thrilling surge on the home stretch and won the 400m race at the Muller Anniversary Games, the 11th round of the IAAF Diamond League, in London on Saturday.
This was the first victory for the 21-year-old in the current Diamond League Series after getting three second-place finishes (Doha, Rome and Rabat).
The win was quite sweet for him as he established a new national record and personal best of 44.07 at the same Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park where he had finished third in the 2017 World Championship behind winner Wayde van Niekerk (South Africa) and silver medallist Steven Gardiner (Bahamas).
American Paul Dedewo came second in 44.43, also his personal best, and former Olympic and world champion Kirani James of Grenada was timed third in 44.50.
James set the pace, leading in the opening 200 metres, while Haroun stayed in the fifth spot. But he started picking up in the third 100 metres, with Jamaican Nathon Allen in the front and he was followed by James and Dedewo.
However on the home front, Haroun showed strong legwork and hit the front before winning the one-lap race. Qatars 400m hurdles sensation Abderrahman Samba also raced and he clocked an impressive 44.62 to get the fifth place.
This winning time improved Haroun's previous PB and National Record of 44.27 he had produced in the 2015 La Chaux-de-Fonds Rsisprint International in Switzerland. (QNA)