Qatar's Mohamed Nasir Abbas ran a season's best 45.96 in the men's 400m for an impressive third place behind winner American Kahmari Montgomery and Kuwait's Yousef Karam, who was the fastest man this year in the event in Doha with a 45.25 in Rome.

For Abbas, who had run a 46.29 in Istanbul earlier this month, the season's best was heartening.

"It was a wonderful race and I am glad with my performance though I would have loved to win. I had only been able to train for two and a half months in Antalya. But it is good to be back on the track doing what I love to do. Hopefully the result will push me going forward," Abbas said after his third place.

Asked about his next target, the 24-year-old said, "I want to target the Olympics, but for now my season has finished."

Qatar’s Mohamed al-Garni just fell short in the men’s 1500m B race with Moroccan Ilyass El Ouali taking the win in a personal best time of 3:43.66 yesterday. Al-Garni, took the lead with two laps to go, and held on till El Ouali upped the pace in the final 100m, finished second in a season’s best of 3:44.30.

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