Abdel secures 10,000m qualifying time

ABDEL Laadjel secured the 10,000m qualifying time for both the NCAA and European Under 23 championships with a very fine run over the distance in the Standford Invitaional Meet at Palo Alto in California on Friday evening.

The Donore Harriers athlete came 14th of 40 starters in a new personal best time of 28.29.17.

Indeed, he knocked 27 seconds of his previous best time set in March 2024.

Running in the colours of the Oregon University Ducks track and field team, Laadjel said afterwards: “I’ve been struggling with hamstring tendonitis, and I could feel my hamstring the whole of the race which wasn’t fun.

But I ticked the box in getting the qualifying time and now I want to focus on the championship season”.

The NCAA West 1st championship 10,000m takes place at College Station in Texas on May 28 – and the European Under 23s will take place in Bergen, Norway in July.