With his starting blocks in place, Nourredine Hadid's wait was nearly over. He was about to race in the 100m in the final meet of the season, at Collège Notre Dame de Jamhour, south of Beirut.
A lengthy power cut, a frequent occurrence in Lebanon, delayed the start. Without the automatic timing technology, the sprinters would have to bide their time.
However, no power outage would dampen the spirits of Lebanon’s fastest man. Hadid had every reason to smile. These races were going to be his last competitive outing before he was to fly to the Tokyo Olympics.
“I am so ready for the Olympics, I can't wait to go,” Hadid told The National. “I feel like a new man, with new hopes, new power. To represent Lebanon in the Olympics, I am so motivated.”
The delay gave Hadid more time to relish in his achievement. Athletes who were waiting stopped to congratulate the Olympian and pose for selfies. Friends and supporters from the terraces came down to the trackside to wish him luck.
After what had been a disrupted season full of speculation, the Lebanese Olympic Committee announced in late June that Hadid would take Lebanon’s universality Olympic place, to participate in the men’s 200 metres. It had been a close call in selection. He was up against his friend and training partner Aziza Sbaity, and dual Olympian marathon-runner Chirine Njeim.
However, having scored the most points throughout the season on the World Athletics Federation’s Global Ranking system, Hadid was given the nod for Tokyo. And on Tuesday he lines up in Tokyo against world champion and gold medal favourite, Noah Lyles.
“It’s unbelievable. He is the fastest man in the world over the 200m,” said Hadid.
“You need to be focused and stay calm. So I always follow some steps - I think to myself, this is my event. I just need to do my best, I am not competing against those athletes, I am just competing against myself, and my time.
“Then when the gun goes off, I feel like if I stay low and run a good curve. I can then test myself with the runner on the outside of me. If I cross 50m-60m and I am close to him, I know I am in good shape now.”
Hadid is in his best shape, running his personal best of 20.83 in June, one of the performances that secured his place in Tokyo.
Since then, he has been inundated with messages of support from friends, family and colleagues. However, there was one message from a complete stranger that was particularly fortuitous.
After reading Hadid’s story in The National, one of his Instagram followers was compelled to reach out, and find out if she could help make a difference.
The economic situation in Lebanon, and resulting hyperinflation, has meant that the value of Hadid’s army wage has completely deteriorated, so much so that he could no longer afford to buy himself new running gear. In training, he resorted to running in old spikes that had holes in them. And when he raced, he would compete in a speed suit that was borrowed from Justin Gatlin.
“She said that she was from Lebanon but living in the US. She felt terrible about the situation here, and wanted to help,” explained Hadid.
“At first, I thought she was just talking, a lot of people say they will help, but then don’t.”
Thinking that he had nothing to lose, he sent over links to a new pair of running spikes and a new speed suit that he wanted.
Within a few days, his follower replied with a photo of the receipts and asked for a delivery address.
“I realised she was serious,” said Hadid.
Because mail services are unreliable in Lebanon, particularly international delivery, Hadid took to social media to see if anyone he knew was travelling between the US and Lebanon, and would be willing to travel with his new gear.
Through the power of Instagram, he found some help, and his new speed suit and spikes arrived in Lebanon just in time, days before his departure to Tokyo flight.
Hadid was dumbfounded by the willingness of others to help, and for his special supporter in the USA.
“I really appreciate everything, it’s really amazing,” says Hadid, “Hopefully I can meet her in Lebanon someday.”
Eventually, the power came back on in Jamhour and the races got under way. As expected, Lebanon’s fastest man recorded two more victories, in the 100m and 200m, and added the gold medals to his collection.
As much as gold may seem unlikely in Tokyo, Hadid has a clear goal in mind.
“Hopefully I can improve my time and get another personal best and national record. I think I still have hope to go through to the semi-finals. I am really close to the elite athletes. I think I have a big chance to go through to the semi-final.
“No-one knows what's going to happen. Hopefully, I can qualify through to the next round. It will be the first time ever in Lebanon’s history to do so.”
RESULTS
1.45pm: Handicap (TB) Dh80,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
Winners: Hyde Park, Royston Ffrench (jockey), Salem bin Ghadayer (trainer)
2.15pm: Conditions (TB) Dh100,000 (D) 1,400m
Winner: Shamikh, Ryan Curatolo, Nicholas Bachalard
2.45pm: Conditions (TB) Dh100,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Hurry Up, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer.
3.15pm: Shadwell Jebel Ali Mile Group 3 (TB) Dh575,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Blown by Wind, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer
3.45pm: Handicap (TB) Dh72,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Mazagran, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar.
4.15pm: Handicap (TB) Dh64,000 (D) 1,950m
Winner: Obeyaan, Adrie de Vries, Mujeeb Rehman
4.45pm: Handicap (TB) Dh84,000 (D) 1,000m
Winner: Shanaghai City, Fabrice Veron, Rashed Bouresly.
Dubai World Cup prize money
Group 1 (Purebred Arabian) 2000m Dubai Kahayla Classic - $750,000
Group 2 1,600m(Dirt) Godolphin Mile - $750,000
Group 2 3,200m (Turf) Dubai Gold Cup – $750,000
Group 1 1,200m (Turf) Al Quoz Sprint – $1,000,000
Group 2 1,900m(Dirt) UAE Derby – $750,000
Group 1 1,200m (Dirt) Dubai Golden Shaheen – $1,500,000
Group 1 1,800m (Turf) Dubai Turf – $4,000,000
Group 1 2,410m (Turf) Dubai Sheema Classic – $5,000,000
Group 1 2,000m (Dirt) Dubai World Cup– $12,000,000
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Evacuations to France hit by controversy
- Over 500 Gazans have been evacuated to France since November 2023
- Evacuations were paused after a student already in France posted anti-Semitic content and was subsequently expelled to Qatar
- The Foreign Ministry launched a review to determine how authorities failed to detect the posts before her entry
- Artists and researchers fall under a programme called Pause that began in 2017
- It has benefited more than 700 people from 44 countries, including Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Sudan
- Since the start of the Gaza war, it has also included 45 Gazan beneficiaries
- Unlike students, they are allowed to bring their families to France
Result
6.30pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-3 – Group 1 (PA) $65,000 (Dirt) 2,000m; Winner: Brraq, Ryan Curatolo (jockey), Jean-Claude Pecout (trainer)
7.05pm: Handicap (TB) $65,000 (Turf) 1,800m; Winner: Bright Melody, James Doyle, Charlie Appleby
7.40pm: Meydan Classic – Listed (TB) $88,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Naval Crown, Mickael Barzalona, Charlie Appleby
8.15pm: Nad Al Sheba Trophy – Group 3 (TB) $195,000 (T) 2,810m; Winner: Volcanic Sky, Frankie Dettori, Saeed bin Suroor
8.50pm: Dubai Millennium Stakes – Group 3 (TB) $130,000 (T) 2,000m; Winner: Star Safari, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
9.25pm: Meydan Challenge – Listed Handicap (TB) $88,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Zainhom, Dane O’Neill, Musabah Al Muhairi
The specs: 2018 Nissan Patrol Nismo
Price: base / as tested: Dh382,000
Engine: 5.6-litre V8
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 428hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 560Nm @ 3,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.7L / 100km
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
The specs
Engine: 4-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: eight-speed PDK
Power: 630bhp
Torque: 820Nm
Price: Dh683,200
On sale: now
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Profile of Tarabut Gateway
Founder: Abdulla Almoayed
Based: UAE
Founded: 2017
Number of employees: 35
Sector: FinTech
Raised: $13 million
Backers: Berlin-based venture capital company Target Global, Kingsway, CE Ventures, Entrée Capital, Zamil Investment Group, Global Ventures, Almoayed Technologies and Mad’a Investment.
Palestine and Israel - live updates
Usain Bolt's World Championships record
2007 Osaka
200m Silver
4x100m relay Silver
2009 Berlin
100m Gold
200m Gold
4x100m relay Gold
2011 Daegu
100m Disqualified in final for false start
200m Gold
4x100m relay Gold
2013 Moscow
100m Gold
200m Gold
4x100m relay Gold
2015 Beijing
100m Gold
200m Gold
4x100m relay Gold
Common OCD symptoms and how they manifest
Checking: the obsession or thoughts focus on some harm coming from things not being as they should, which usually centre around the theme of safety. For example, the obsession is “the building will burn down”, therefore the compulsion is checking that the oven is switched off.
Contamination: the obsession is focused on the presence of germs, dirt or harmful bacteria and how this will impact the person and/or their loved ones. For example, the obsession is “the floor is dirty; me and my family will get sick and die”, the compulsion is repetitive cleaning.
Orderliness: the obsession is a fear of sitting with uncomfortable feelings, or to prevent harm coming to oneself or others. Objectively there appears to be no logical link between the obsession and compulsion. For example,” I won’t feel right if the jars aren’t lined up” or “harm will come to my family if I don’t line up all the jars”, so the compulsion is therefore lining up the jars.
Intrusive thoughts: the intrusive thought is usually highly distressing and repetitive. Common examples may include thoughts of perpetrating violence towards others, harming others, or questions over one’s character or deeds, usually in conflict with the person’s true values. An example would be: “I think I might hurt my family”, which in turn leads to the compulsion of avoiding social gatherings.
Hoarding: the intrusive thought is the overvaluing of objects or possessions, while the compulsion is stashing or hoarding these items and refusing to let them go. For example, “this newspaper may come in useful one day”, therefore, the compulsion is hoarding newspapers instead of discarding them the next day.
Source: Dr Robert Chandler, clinical psychologist at Lighthouse Arabia
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
BRIEF SCORES
England 353 and 313-8 dec
(B Stokes 112, A Cook 88; M Morkel 3-70, K Rabada 3-85)
(J Bairstow 63, T Westley 59, J Root 50; K Maharaj 3-50)
South Africa 175 and 252
(T Bavuma 52; T Roland-Jones 5-57, J Anderson 3-25)
(D Elgar 136; M Ali 4-45, T Roland-Jones 3-72)
Result: England won by 239 runs
England lead four-match series 2-1
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
