Maryam Karim wins UAE’s first Asian junior gold

Sharjah 24: Maryam Karim, a standout athlete from the UAE national athletics team, secured the UAE’s first-ever Asian gold medal in the junior category at the 6th Asian Junior Championships for Men and Women Under-18, held in Saudi Arabia.

Record-breaking performance

Karim triumphed in the 400m hurdles final with a time of 59.55 seconds, setting a new national record and surpassing the previous Asian U18 championship record of 59.71 seconds, set in 2017 by China’s Liang Yina.

Strong international competition

The championship featured athletes from 29 countries. Uzbek runner Shodina Rakhmanova took silver with a time of 1:01.40, while Kazakhstani athlete Ryabukova Evalina earned bronze, clocking in at 1:01.59.

Dominant start in the heats

Maryam Karim began the competition strongly, finishing first in her preliminary heat with a time of 1:01.87, setting the pace for her gold-winning final performance.