Owaab Barrow

Outstanding Contribution to Athletics

Originally from the United Kingdom, Owaab moved to Qatar in 2007 and took up athletics. Owaab joined Compass in September 2012 and it was very clear that he was a very determined and talented athlete. He competes at the highest level for his age group in athletics and is a member of the Aspire Athletics team. He represents Qatar in the 100m, 200m and 110m hurdles.

Owaab has had to work extremely hard to balance athletics and school work as he is often away at training camps in places such as South Africa and Arizona for extended periods of time. He trains 6 times a week at Aspire and competes all over the world in national and international events where he consistently finds himself on the medal podium. His biggest successes to date are winning the 100m event at the European Youth Championships in Sweden in 2016 and more recently he won the 100m youth race in the IAAF Diamond League here in Doha in May 2017.

At school level Owaab competed in the 2017 Doha School Athletics Championships and came 1st in the 100m, 200m and long jump. He was a role model to our younger students who on seeing him run for the first time were amazed at his level of technical efficiency and power. Level headed in victory, Owaab performs with dignity and respect and conducts himself professionally at all times. He has the attitude and determination to succeed.

Owaab’s personal best in the 100m is 10.72 seconds which makes him the number 1 sprinter in Qatar and the United Kingdom for his age group and it is this sort of speed that makes him a potential star of the future. Owaab is very aware of the hard work that he must consistently put in to ensure that he continues to progress right to the top of the athletics world. His short term goal is to get a medal in the World Youth Championships later this year and his long term goal is to compete for Qatar in the Olympic Games.

At Compass International School, we are all very proud of the achievements that Owaab has made to date and look forward to supporting him further as he pursues both his academic and athletic aspirations in the years ahead.