Twenty-seven-year-old Salin Tort was picked as Cambodia\u2019s representative at the just concluded World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He was given a wildcard slot in the men’s 100m event, a berth given to any country that has no qualified athlete in the championships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He finished seventh in his Preliminary Round Heat one with a time of 11.42s. The heat was won by Haitian Christopher Borzor, who was clocked at 10.42s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Was the selection of Salin Tort to the championships justified, considering Cambodia has one other younger sprinter with better timings over the distance?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
23-year-old Noeb Chanyourong clocked 10.86 at the SEA Games two years ago and his season\u2019s best this year is 11.11.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To put in context, Salin\u2019s time at the World Championships would have seen him finishing second at the Cambodia SEA Games. Not in the men’s, but in the women\u2019s 100m <\/strong>competition behind Singapore\u2019s Shanti Pereira. Shanti recorded a time of 11.41 in Phnom Penh while the SEA Games women\u2019s 100m record was 11.28 set by the indomitable Lydia da Vega of the Philippines back in 1987.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Would it not have been more acceptable for a younger runner to be given the spot at the World Championships?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Noeb, would not have progressed any further than Salin, had he raced in Tokyo. But it would have the right progression if development was the criteria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At 27, Salin has already reached his peak and chances of him clocking a better time is fighting against mother time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The selection of Salin looks more like a decision made to reward a veteran runner instead of having a long term plan in place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This malady is not confined only to Cambodia but had also happened in the past, both in athletics and other sports around the globe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At the 2023 World University Games, Somali sprinter Nasra Ali Abukar finished the 100m race in a time of 21.81s, a good ten seconds behind the winner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Video of her performance went viral, revealing her lack of fitness for the competition. This led to widespread criticism online and accusations of nepotism against the sports official who selected her, as she was the niece of the head of the Somali Athletics Federation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The chairwoman of the federation, Khadijo Aden Dahir, was suspended and faced legal proceedings. The country’s Ministry of Youth and Sports also issued an apology for the embarrassment caused to the nation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n