Rio 2016: UAE 1,500m hopeful Betlhem Desaleyn likely to miss Olympic Games

Desaleyn has been a prominent figure in the 1500m and 5000m distances in Asia, winning the double both at the 2013 and 2015 Asian Championships.

Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP

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DUBAI // The UAE Olympic squad has taken a hit as 1,500m runner Betlhem Desaleyn is likely to be ruled out after picking up a hamstring injury over the weekend.

Desaleyn has been a prominent figure in the 1,500m and 5,000m distances in Asia, winning the double at both the 2013 and 2015 Asian Championships.

Though she disappointed at the London Games in 2012, finishing 33rd, the UAE Athletics Federation had high hopes that she would at least make the finals this time.

But a hamstring strain suffered in training in Belgium means she needs three-four weeks to recover. Her heats start from August 12.

“She was very, very excited but she has a really bad strain of her hamstring and that needs time to heal,” said Said Aouita, the Moroccan who was one of the greatest middle distance runners of all time, and who is now working on the UAE’s National Olympics Committee (NOC) as a technical adviser.

A second opinion has been sought on the extent of the injury with doctors flying out to Belgium to examine her, but Aouita did not sound confident. “The doctor said about three-four weeks to recover so if she doesn’t train how will she recover?

“It happens to athletes, when they are training, when they train under pressure. It has happened to me at the ’88 Olympics. When you get close to the event, you start doing speed workout to get rhythm and that could be the problem – or if she didn’t warm up very well, or drink enough water.”

Ahmed Al Kamali, the head of the UAE Athletics Federation, said more would become clear about her status this week. Al Kamali was expecting Desaleyn to make at least the finals of the event.

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