Tokyo, Japan: Maldivian sprint star Hassan Saaid produced a improved performance at the World Athletics Championship 2025 in Tokyo, Japan, clocking his seasonal best of 10.81 seconds in the men’s 100m.
Competing on the world stage for the fourth time in his career, Saaid showed grit and composure against elite sprinters, including world number one Kishane Thompson of Jamaica, who went on to win their heat with a blistering 9.95 seconds.
Saaid first raced in the preliminary round, finishing with a time of 10.84 seconds to book his place in Round One. In Heat Two, Saaid improved his mark to 10.81 seconds, his best timing of the season.
This year’s Tokyo appearance adds to Saaid’s consistent record on the global stage, having previously represented the Maldives at the 2015 World Championships in Beijing, 2017 in London, and 2022 in Oregon, USA.
A trailblazer in Maldivian sports, Saaid remains the country’s most decorated individual athlete.
His career highlights include winning the first-ever international gold medal for the Maldives at the 2015 Indian Ocean Island Games (IOIG) and clinching the 100m gold at the 2019 South Asian Games, which remains the nation’s only gold in the competition.
At 33, Saaid continues to inspire as the face of Maldivian athletics, proving his enduring quality and determination on the world stage.
