London: The young Qatari runner Abdalelah Haroun set his personal best time of the year and qualified for the 400m final at the 2017 IAAF World Championships in London.
Haroun, 20, finished the race in 44.64 seconds coming third in the second group behind South African Wade van Niekerk, holder of the world record (44.22 seconds) and 2015 World Cup and 2016 Rio Olympic champion.
The first two from the three groups and the best-of-two-time runners qualify for the final. Haroun had to wait till the end of the third semi-final to finalise his place in the final.
The Qatari runner qualified for his first World Athletics Championship and he will run the final on Tuesday.
The finalists include Botswana's Babuki Teppei and his compatriot Isaac McCawla (44.30), American Fred Kerley (44.51), Jamaican Damesh Jay (44.55th), and Nathan Allen (44.19).
Haroun said: "I am happy to record the best time of the year, despite my start from the difficult eighth lane. I am capable of improving my time in the final."
Haroun has silver medal in the 2016 world championships, gold medal in the 2016 World Youth Championship, and another gold medal in the 2015 Asian Championships.
For his part, South Africa Van Niekerk is looking for a historical record in 200 and 400 meters. In Rio 2016, he broke Michael Johnson's world record (43.03 seconds).
American LaShawn Merritt, holder of the 2009 and 2013 gold medals and the 2008 gold in Beijing Olympics, failed to qualify for the final with 45.52 seconds.
