Talal Mansour Al-Rahim ( ar, طلال منصور, born May 8, 1964) is a retired

Qatar Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it sh ...

i sprinter who competed mainly in the

100 metres The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been conteste ...

. He holds the Asian indoor record for

60 metres 60 metres, or 60-meter dash, is a sprint event in track and field. It is a championship event for indoor championships, normally dominated by the best outdoor 100 metres runners. At outdoor venues it is a rare distance, at least for senior at ...

with 6.51 seconds.

Early life and career

Mansour was born in Qatar's capital city,

Doha Doha ( ar, الدوحة, ad-Dawḥa or ''ad-Dōḥa'') is the capital city and main financial hub of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf coast in the east of the country, north of Al Wakrah and south of Al Khor, it is home to most of the coun ...

. His parents were nomads who had emigrated to Doha from the

Rub' al Khali The Rub' al KhaliOther standardized transliterations include: / . The ' is the assimilated Arabic definite article, ', which can also be transliterated as '. (; ar, ٱلرُّبْع ٱلْخَالِي (), the "Empty Quarter") is the sand des ...

desert. He received limited education and as a result of few employment opportunities he joined the

Qatar Armed Forces The Qatar Armed Forces ( ar, القوات المسلحة القطرية, Al-Quwwat Al-Musallahah Al-Qatariyyah) are the military forces of the State of Qatar. Since 2015, Qatar has implemented mandatory military conscription with an average of ...

when he was 17 years old. From a young age, he participated in basketball, swimming and athletics. In 1983, when he was 19 years old, his coach Uli Kunst encouraged him to focus solely on athletics. Initially a high jumper, he adapted into a sprinter under Kunst's guidance. He participated in the

1985 Asian Athletics Championships The sixth Asian Championships in Athletics were held in September 1985 at the Senayan Madya Stadium in Jakarta, Indonesia. Medal summary Men's events Women's events Medal table See also * 1985 in athletics (track and field) External lin ...

, finishing in 4th place in the 100 metres category. Consequently, he received little recognition for his accolade at the time, having been overshadowed by the top 3 contenders. In the

1986 Asian Games The 1986 Asian Games ( ko, 1986년 아시아 경기대회/1986년 아시안 게임, Cheon gubaek palsip-yuk nyeon Asia gyeonggi daehoe/Cheon gubaek palsip-yuk nyeon Asian Geim), officially known as the 10th Asian Games and the X Asiad ( ko, 제10 ...

, he achieved a gold medal. During the tournament, most of the media initially centered on

Zheng Chen Zheng Chen (born 4 January 1965) is a Chinese sprinter. He competed in the men's 100 metres at the 1988 Summer Olympics The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and commonly known as Seoul 1988 ...

, the Asian record holder at the time. However, Mansour's high knee-lift and power running technique impressed many spectators. He knocked off Anat Ratanapol in the semi-finals, clocking a time of 10.32. He clocked a time of 10.30 in the final, and may have had a possibility of surpassing the Asian record at the time had he not decided to play to the audience by raising his arms in triumph before he hit the tape. He set an Asian record in the 60 metre sprint on 3 March 1993 in the annual LBBW Meeting where he clocked a time of 6.51. He also received a bronze medal in the men's 60 metre sprint at the

1993 IAAF World Indoor Championships The 4th IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics were held at the Skydome in Toronto, Ontario, Canada from March 12 to March 14, 1993. It was the last Indoor Championships to feature the 5,000 and 3,000 metres race walk events. In addition, it ...

, making him the first sprinter from Qatar to win a medal in global athletics. After retiring from athletics, he was installed as a member of the board of directors of Al Sadd Sports Club.

Achievements

1994 Asian Games The 1994 Asian Games ( ja, 1994年アジア競技大会, ''Senkyūhyakukyūjūyon-nen Ajia kyōgi taikai''), also known as the XII Asiad and the 12th Asian Games ( ja, 第12回アジア競技大会, Daijūni-kai Ajia kyōgi taikai), were held from ...

- gold medal (

200 metres The 200 metres, or 200-meter dash, is a sprint running event. On an outdoor 400 metre racetrack, the race begins on the curve and ends on the home straight, so a combination of techniques is needed to successfully run the race. A slightl ...

) *

- gold medal *

- bronze medal *

1993 Asian Athletics Championships The tenth Asian Championships in Athletics were held in early December 1993 in Manila, Philippines. Medal summary Men's events Women's events Medal table See also * 1993 in athletics (track and field) External links GBR Athletics {{Asian ...

- gold medal *

1992 Pan Arab Games The 1992 Pan Arab Games was the seventh edition of the quadrennial multi-sport event between Arab nations. It was held in Damascus, Syria between September 4 and September 18, 1992. A total of 2611 athletes from 18 countries participated in events ...

- gold medal (200 m) *

- gold medal *

1991 Asian Athletics Championships The ninth Asian Championships in Athletics were held in 1991 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Medal summary Men's events * Some English-language sources, such as GBR Athletics, erroneously state that Kim Bok-joo was 1991 Asian Championships runner-up ...

- gold medal *

1990 Asian Games The 1990 Asian Games also known as the XI Asiad and the 11th Asian Games ( zh, c=第十一届亚洲运动会, p=Dì shíyī jiè yàzhōu yùndònghuì), were held from September 22 to October 7, 1990, in Beijing, China. This was the first Asian Ga ...

- gold medal *

1987 Asian Athletics Championships The seventh Asian Championships in Athletics were held in 1987 in Singapore. Medal summary Men's events Women's events Medal table See also *1987 in athletics (track and field) External linksGBR Athletics {{asian athletics champs Asia ...

- gold medal (200 m) *

- gold medal *

- gold medal

References

External links

Sports Reference
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mansour, Talal 1964 births Living people Qatari male sprinters Athletes (track and field) at the 1984 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1988 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1992 Summer Olympics Olympic athletes for Qatar World Athletics Indoor Championships medalists Asian Games medalists in athletics (track and field) Athletes (track and field) at the 1986 Asian Games Athletes (track and field) at the 1990 Asian Games Athletes (track and field) at the 1994 Asian Games Asian Games gold medalists for Qatar Asian Games bronze medalists for Qatar Medalists at the 1986 Asian Games Medalists at the 1990 Asian Games Medalists at the 1994 Asian Games