Sadam Koumi (August 2017)

Sadam Koumi (August 2017)

Sadam Koumi is a Sudanese athlete who runs for Birchfield Harriers, since the beginning of 2013 and, has always shown ‘Great’ potential over 400m. He ran 45.1 in the All African Senior Championships at Brazzaville in 2015 plus two sub-46’s in 2016.
Sadam won the European Clubs (Group B) 400 in Leira, Portugal with a time of 45.98 on the 20th of May 2016 and, in the Copenhagen Athletics Games on the 5th of August he ran 45.83.

“Last season I finished because of my knee. I can still feel it this year, it’s not the greatest”

However, in 2017 he won an exciting race at the UK CAU & England Athletics Senior AAA’s Championships Final, on the 30th of July at Bedford, in a time of 46.14; 2nd was Ben Snaith of Enfield & Haringey in 46.21; and 3rd Edmond Amaning of TVH in 46.49  (Amaning, the Middlesex runner, was also 3rd in the 200 Final).

About the 400, just after his win Sadam said ‘It was exciting but, I was struggling with my hamstring problem BUT I am happy to be here at Bedford and win.’

How did it all begin for Sadam Koumi
“I ran 1:52 for 800 at 16 and 46.3 for 400”.

The 400 was where his potential lay.
He went on to say ‘In Sudan I used to like football but I can’t play it as it was harder for me but, with athletics, the more you do the further you go in your life. Athletics was a wise choice for me’

Tony Hadley is his coach
‘He may not be somebody very well known but, the best coach I have had in my life. He liked my body (the form). And I said to him I have had a dream and he told me, I would be the one who will make that dream come true’
‘He has helped me a lot in my life, in and outside athletics. He is kind of like a Dad and best friend. He helped me when I first moved to this country.
It was hard for me as I could not speak any English. Right now he is always there and, I am going to stay with him right through my career in the sport’