I started track and field in 1981. In September 1980, he matched the Lebanese record in the 100m -a dream record for many athletes. He succeeded. I did not know him at the time, I had only read about him in the paper. When I started training with Raymond Naccour, I was excited to learn he was in the team. It was intimidating for me to be next to the Lebanese record holder. Could one just simply start a conversation with such an athlete?
The answer came with his great smile. A smile that started running with us, telling jokes, laughing and having fun. This record holder was a gentle and easy going young man, fun to be with who, spread a "joie de vivre” all around him. He had a big heart!
We trained one year together. Although we did not see each other very often after that year, we had a blast every time we met going down memory lane. All who have known him still remember his smile and his constant good mood!
We are very fortunate to have known him! He left us too early and deprived us of his smile. That is life, whimsical and unfair. It has stolen him from us for no reason.
I am certain that all his friends miss a joyful person and a great athlete. Our youth would have benefited fro
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Gretta Taslakian and Mohammad Hannouf went with their other teamates Ramzi and Mirvat to Bucharest to participate in the J2 Grand Prix - Romania. Gretta clocked 7.78s on 60m and Hannouf clocked 2.05.89 on 800m, Best Junior Indoor Performance. Inter-Lebanon athletes will compete a second time next week in Bucharest also. Congrats!
Thomas Semaan, the Lebanese 200 and 400 meters runner went at the age of 18 to France to pursue his education after being an athlete and a student at CSJ (Club Sportif Jamhour). Since 2005, Thomas continued training and competition in France and came every year to participate in the Lebanese Open Clubs Championships for CSJ. He detained once the Youth Lebanese record in 200m (22.78, Limassol, 23/05/2004) and is the National record Holder in 4x400m Relay, a record set in October 2009 at the Francophonie Games.
Today, at 23 years old, Thomas Semaan ran the 200, 400 and 800 meters indoor scoring in each one respectively
22''73 (06/02/2011), 49''97 (12/02/2011) and 2'02''37 (06/02/2011), and he also took 3rd, 2nd and 1st place in each discipline respectively. These performances are waiting to be ratified by the Lebanese Athletics Federation as Indoor National records. Moreover, he ran the 400m indoor in December 2010 scoring 50''47s and he came to improve it in January with 50''61 on 16, and 50''35 on 28, to finally break the 50 seconds barrier and clock 49''97.
Thomas Semaan's Season Best (based on the FFA (Fédération Francaise D'athlètisme):... Read more »
At the J2 Grand Prix in Bucharest - Romania, the Inter-Lebanon athletes, Ramzi Naim, Gretta Taslakian, Mohammad Hannouf and Mirvat Hamze went to compete in this meeting. Mirvat Hamze ran the 400m one week ago and set a new Indoor Senior Record of 1:02.82, now its Ramzi time, who run today the 400m indoor for the first time and clocked 52.36s (PB). Gretta and Hannouf have the 60m and 800m respectively tonight.
Good Luck for the runners and Congrats for winners :)
Mirvat Hamze went to Buscarest Romania to try to break her personal best of 1:06.78, the national indoor record on 400m, and she did. She improved her PB and the national record by 4 seconds on Saturday, 5 February! A beautiful beginning of the season with 1:02.82 on 400m. She just added a new record on her list, we must mention that she is the national record holder of 800 and 1500m. Congrats Mirvat!
2010 was a fruitfull year for the track and field in Lebanon. We saw great comebacks, like in sprint Gretta Taslakian, and the best high jumper ever Jean-Claude Rabbath. We have also seen new faces and youth athletes who fast became champions. Finally, we have seen a large number of records beating, at total of 31 records, while in 2009 the total of record beating was only 18 record.
New Athletes:
We should mention Abdallah Chahine, a Hammer thrower who came from the United Sates especially to throw here in his country of origin, Lebanon. AB, as we call him, didn't just come here to throw, he also beat the Lebanese record of 50.19m set by Victor Hajj-Moussa in 14 July 2000. The record is now improved by 3 meters and is today 53.18m.
Youth Athletes:
Other than AB, we saw little kids who have the international level of athletics like Sarah-Jo Cortbaoui who's only 12 years old and had won the first place in 1500m in the L
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On 11 October 2009, 100-year-old Ruth Frith (Austrailia threw a record of 4.07m in shot put in the over 100 years category at the World Master Games in Sydney, Australia. The Games were open to all athletes of all abilities.
n after being an athlete and a student at CSJ (Club Sportif Jamhour). Since 2005, Thomas continued training and competition in France and came every year to participate in the Lebanese Open Clubs Championships for CSJ. He detained once the Youth Lebanese record in 200m (22.78, Limassol, 23/05/2004) and is the National record Holder in 4x400m Relay, a record set in October 2009 at the Francophonie Games.
