Talal Mansour

Talal Mansour Al-Rahim (Arabic: طلال منصور‎, born May 8, 1964) is a retired Qatari sprinter who competed mainly in the 100 metres. He holds the Asian indoor record for 60 metres with 6.51 seconds.

Talal Mansour

Medal record
Men’s Athletics
Representing the  Qatar
Asian Games
1986 Seoul100 m
1990 Beijing100 m
1994 Hiroshima100 m
1994 Hiroshima200 m
1994 Hiroshima4×100 m relay

Early life and career

Mansour was born in Qatar's capital city, Doha. His parents were nomads who had emigrated to Doha from the Rub' al Khali desert. He received limited education and as a result of few employment opportunities he joined the Qatar Armed Forces when he was 17 years old. From a young age, he participated in basketball, swimming and athletics. In 1983, when he was 19 years old, his coach Uli Kunst encouraged him to focus solely on athletics. Initially a high jumper, he adapted into a sprinter under Kunst's guidance.[1]

He participated in the 1985 Asian Athletics Championships, finishing in 4th place in the 100 metres category. Consequently, he received little recognition for his accolade at the time, having been overshadowed by the top 3 contenders.[2]

In the 1986 Asian Games, he achieved a gold medal. During the tournament, most of the media initially centered on Zheng Chen, the Asian record holder at the time. However, Mansour's high knee-lift and power running technique impressed many spectators. He knocked off Anat Ratanapol in the semi-finals, clocking a time of 10.32. He clocked a time of 10.30 in the final, and may have had a possibility of surpassing the Asian record at the time had he not decided to play to the audience by raising his arms in triumph before he hit the tape.[2]

He set an Asian record in the 60 metre sprint on 3 March 1993 in the annual LBBW Meeting where he clocked a time of 6.51. He also received a bronze medal in the men's 60 metre sprint at the 1993 IAAF World Indoor Championships, making him the first sprinter from Qatar to win a medal in global athletics.[3]

After retiring from athletics, he was installed as a member of the board of directors of Al Sadd Sports Club.[4]

Achievements

References
  1. "Talal Mansoor". The Strait Times. 22 July 1987. Retrieved 2019-10-08.
  2. "Amazing Mansoor". The Strait Times. 2 October 1986. Retrieved 2019-10-08.
  3. "1993 World Indoor 60m Medalists Reunite in Doha". iaaf.org. 11 May 2014. Retrieved 2019-10-08.
  4. "Board of Directors". al-saddclub.com. Archived from the original on 2 November 2014. Retrieved 2014-12-17.
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