Wais Khairandesh: The only athlete representing Afghanistan at the World Championships
Aug 22, 2015
Wais Khairandesh competed in the 800 at the 2015 IAAF World Championships for the first time ever, representing Afghanistan. He did not advance to the semi-final after finishing 8th in Heat 6. Khairandesh was the national champion for Afghanistan this year, but did not know if the federation would send him to Beijing to compete. After attempting to hit Afghanistan's recommended qualifying time at the FloTrack Throwdown, Khairandesh was told he could represent the country at the championships, despite not hitting the time. Khairandesh touched on being the only athlete from Afghanistan at the championships and the unorganized nature of the present athletic federation. However, despite his feelings of frustration, Khairandesh knows his journey is not over representing his native country, and he hopes his participation in the championships will spark change within the athletic federation in Afghanistan.
