KUALA LUMPUR – Lack of halal food was the reason for national 400m runner Umar Osman poor performance in the 2025 Rhine-Ruhr World University Games (WUG) in Lohrheidestadion.
Umar had to depend on ready-to-eat (RTE) meals, which didn’t quite meet his nutritional needs. The gold medalist from the 2023 SEA Games acknowledged that this situation impacted his energy levels during the race, leading to his elimination in the semi-finals yesterday.
“Perhaps my nutrition here (is a factor behind his failure to clock the desired time), because most of the food is not halal, and I only ate food packs.
“The food packs were quite spicy as well. So, I had to eat them, whether I liked it or not, for energy,” said the Ungku Omar Polytechnic student.
In yesterday’s race, he finished sixth in Heat 2 of the 400m semi-finals, clocking in at 47.10 seconds, which is his slowest time of the season.
Umar, who has the national record of 46.09 seconds, acknowledged that he felt a difference in his performance this time around.
“I felt that energy-wise, my body felt quite weak. I tried to keep up with the other runners in the first 300m, but towards the last 100m, I couldn’t go after them,” said Umar, who has a season’s best of 46.25s, which he achieved at the Asian Athletics Championships in Gumi, South Korea, in May.
Umar will compete in the mixed 4x400m relay tomorrow and in the men’s 4×400 race on Saturday. – July 23, 2025