Rabah Yousif
Rabah Yousif (born December 11, 1986 in Omdurman ) is a British sprinter of Sudanese origin who specializes in the 400-meter run .
In 2002 he sat on the way to the World Junior Athletics Championships in Kingston at a training camp in Sheffield as an asylum seeker .
Under the guidance of trainer Carol Williams, he became English U23 champion over 400 meters in 2005 and 2007 and in 2007 set the current Sudanese record in the long jump . Since 2005 he lived with his future wife Sophie Legg in Middlesbrough .
In 2007 his application for asylum was finally rejected, but his marriage to Sophie gave him a permanent residence permit.
Since his naturalization was further delayed, he decided, after the Sudanese authorities had promised him security, to start internationally for his old homeland. At the 2009 World Championships in Berlin, he reached the semi-finals. In 2010 he was eliminated from the World Indoor Championships in Doha and won silver at the African Championships in Nairobi . At the Athletics Continental Cup in Split he was fifth in the individual competition and came third with the African team in the 4 x 400 meter relay . In 2011 a semi-final at the World Championships in Daegu was followed by a victory at the Africa Games in Maputo .
In 2012 he did without a start at the World Indoor Championships in Istanbul in the semifinals and reached the semifinals at the Olympic Games in London .
In 2013 he received British citizenship. At the 2014 European Championships in Zurich, he contributed to the victory of the British 4 x 400 meter relay through his work in the run-up.
In 2015 he came in fifth place in the British 4 x 400 meter relay at the European Indoor Championships in Prague . At the World Championships in Beijing he was sixth in the individual competition and won bronze in the relay. He also won the bronze medal with the relay at the 2016 European Championships in Amsterdam .
In 2015 he became British champion over 400 meters.
Personal best
- 400 m: 44.54 s, August 24, 2015, Beijing
- Hall: 46.24s, February 20, 2010, Birmingham
- Long jump: 7.61 m, May 5, 2007, London (Sudanese record)
Web links
- Rabah Yousif in the database of World Athletics (English)
- Athlete portrait at The Power of Ten
- Rabah Yousif in the database of TOPS in athletics (English)
Footnotes
- ↑ Heartbreak as athlete's plea to stay is rejected . In: Evening Gazette. October 20, 2007
- ↑ Ben Bloom: Rabah Yousif: My life was saved by coming here - now I want to repay Britain . In: The Daily Telegraph . August 12, 2015
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Yousif, Rabah |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | British sprinter of Sudanese descent |
| DATE OF BIRTH | December 11, 1986 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Omdurman |