STOCKTON-BASED Sudanese international Rabah Yusuf, who now competes for London club Newham and Essex Beagles in the British Athletics League Premiership, will be chasing the senior men's 200m title in this weekend's North-East Track and Field Championships at Gateshead Stadium.
Yusuf, who made an astonishing debut in the regional championships in 2004 when, as a raw 17-year-old, he beat Olympian Jared Deacon over one lap at Gateshead Stadium, is regarded as one of the UK's most promising athletes.
After competing for Border Harriers in the British Athletics League Division Two the 20-year-old six-footer has moved up into the top bracket and won the 400m - his new club's only A race success - in the opening fixture at Copthall last weekend in a time of 46.8 seconds.
When he beat Deacon, a European and Commonwealth Games 400m relay gold medallist, three years ago Yusuf clocked 46.97 secs and was only half a second outside the Tynesider's championship record.
But this time Yusuf, the 2005 400m and 200m North-East champion, will be content to race in the two-bend test.
Yusuf heads a powerful Teesside sprint contingent which also includes 2006 English Schools 100m silver-medallist Yusuf Aliu (Middlesbrough AC) and his training partner, North of England 200m indoor champion Richard Kilty, who competes for Gateshead.
The championships, which have attracted nearly 600 entries, start at 10am on each day and this morning Chester-le-Street's former Great Britain international Stewy Bell defends his 10,000m crown in the first track event.
* Sunderland Harriers Mark Hood and Louise Noble completed a double success in the Tees Barrage 10K road race.
Hood, the North-East cross country champion, won in 31 mins 58 secs, beating Billingham Marsh House's Andrew Chapman by 3 mins 14 secs, while Noble, the North-East 10K and half marathon road race champion, recorded 38.38.
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