World

From Valencia to Berlin: How Ali Al-Shahrani keeps rewriting the Saudi marathon record

ALKHOBAR: Two hours, 16 minutes and 58 seconds. After first setting the Saudi national marathon record at the 2025 Valencia Marathon, Al-Hilal Athletics Club and Saudi national team athlete Ali Al-Shahrani took 10 seconds off his own time at the 2026 Berlin Marathon to set a new mark. Now, the athlete has his sights set on greater heights: the Los Angeles Olympics. But how did Al-Shahrani reach this point in his career, and how does he plan to keep cutting his time to reach the Olympic qualifyin