EUGENE, USA, 8th August, 2026 (WAM) -- UAE athlete Salma Haitham Al Marri successfully broke the national record in the women's hammer throw, previously standing at 58.12 meters, recording 58.96 meters during the qualifiers of the World Athletics U20 Championships "Oregon 2026," currently being held in Eugene, Oregon, USA.

Rashid Naser Al Ali, Member of the Board of Directors of the UAE Athletics Federation and Chairman of the National Teams Committee, confirmed that Salma Al Marri delivered an impressive competitive performance against the world's elite athletes and succeeded in achieving a new record that reflects the significant development in her level and technical abilities.

He added that Al Marri finished the qualifiers in 13th place worldwide among 22 athletes, outperforming athletes from national teams with a prominent presence in throwing events, including Poland, Denmark, and Spain, finishing just one place short of qualifying for the final.

He noted that the rapid improvement in the athlete's marks strengthens her position as one of the UAE's most prominent emerging talents in throwing events, after she previously recorded 49.02 meters in Slovenia last year, breaking the previous national record of 44.60 meters at the youth, junior, and senior levels, before raising her record to 58.96 meters at the World Championships.

He said that achieving this mark at the World Championships, against elite athletes from different continents, represents an important indication of her abilities and future potential, particularly as she is still in the junior category and has significant room for development and competition for higher positions worldwide.

Meanwhile, Al Ali highlighted the qualification of sprinter Suleiman Abdul Rahman for the 400-meter semifinals, finishing third in the qualifiers with a time of 46.68 seconds.

He then delivered a stronger performance in the semifinals, recording 46.27 seconds and finishing fourth in his heat, narrowly missing out on a place in the final.

He stated that the outstanding results and performances of the national team's male and female athletes against the world's best represent a positive indicator of the development of UAE athletics and confirm that the Federation's Board of Directors' strategy is on the right path toward building a new generation of future champions.