The GOAT of Lebanese athletics, among the world's Elite

Marc-Anthony Ibrahim took a major step forward in his career at the beginning of 2026 after earning a scholarship to continue his development as an elite athlete at the University of Tennessee (USA). Widely regarded as the GOAT of Lebanese athletics, Ibrahim finished fourth at the NCAA Championships this year, the premier breeding ground for the world's top track and field athletes, and displayed remarkable consistency throughout the season.

With 2027 serving as the crucial pre-Olympic campaign, the Lebanese champion will aim to maximize the speed gains he made in 2026 by optimizing it in the perspective of a 400-meter hurdles, while also improving his mental approach to major championships in pursuit of new international titles for Lebanon.

In January 2026, at the age of 23, Marc-Anthony Ibrahim took a decisive step in his career by moving to the United States after earning a scholarship to the University of Tennessee. The holder of the highest World Athletics points total ever achieved by a Lebanese athlete, and still the only Lebanese athlete in history to advance beyond the opening round at a World Athletics Championships, when he finished ninth at the 2021 World Athletics U20 Championships in Kenya, made an immediate impact during his first season in the United States through a level of consistency he had never previously attained.

For only the second time in his career, after 2024, Ibrahim produced five performances below 49.50 seconds over the 400m hurdles. The difference, however, was striking: in 2026 he achieved those five sub-49.50 races in just nine competitions (56% of his races), compared to 14 races (36%) in 2024. Although he did not improve on his personal best of 48.95 seconds, he came agonizingly close by clocking 48.98. His season was also cut short by a shoulder injury sustained during the NCAA Championships, his final race of the 2026 campaign. His performances kept him ranked among the world's top 50 to 60 athletes in the 400-meter hurdles.

In an exclusive interview with The Beiruter, Ibrahim explained why moving to the United States was the right decision to continue the upward trajectory of his career: "I decided to continue my career in the United States in October 2025. The difficult situation in Lebanon and my coach's decision to stop coaching athletics pushed me to make that choice. Under those circumstances, my opportunities for development in Lebanon were limited, so I decided to move to the U.S. Tennessee's athletics program quickly saw my potential. That gave me tremendous motivation to train at full intensity. My race times kept improving throughout the season: 49.8, 49.5, 49.2, 49.1... Eventually I finished fourth at the NCAA Division I Championships, which is a huge achievement for Lebanon. The NCAA is one of the main stepping stones to the World Athletics circuit, with an extremely high level of competition. “World-lead” performances have been recorded there on numerous occasions."

An already impressive résumé

At just 23 years old, the athlete from Machghara has already built an impressive résumé, highlighted by a silver medal at the 2025 Arab Championships and the gold medal at the 2024 Mediterranean U23 Championships. His achievements also include seven Lebanese national titles, sixth place at the 2025 Asian Athletics Championships, fifth place at the 2025 FISU World University Games, and fourth place at the 2026 NCAA Championships.

The 2027 season will feature several major international events. Ibrahim will target a medal at the Asian Championships in May, direct qualification for the 2027 World Athletics Championships in September by running under 48 seconds, and the gold medal at the FISU World University Games Universiade.

Such a victory would represent not only Lebanon's first-ever world title at the Universiade, but also the country's first medal in the history of this event. As important as medals and titles, or perhaps even more important for the professionalization of his career, will be the times he produces in 2027

 Breaking the 47.50-second barrier would significantly improve his World Athletics ranking and greatly enhance his ability to secure sponsorships, beginning with a partnership with a major sports equipment manufacturer. For that reason, 2027 shapes up as a pivotal year. Then comes 2028, an Olympic year, during which Ibrahim hopes to become only the third Lebanese athlete, after Chirine Njeim in 2016 and Jean-Claude Rabbath in 2000 and 2004, to qualify directly for the Olympic Games without relying on a universality place.

Major speed gains that must now be optimized in a 400-meter hurdles race

Everything points toward a highly promising 2027 campaign for the athlete who first discovered athletics at Champville School under his first coach, Elie Saade, who deserves credit for steering him toward the hurdles from his very first tries in the exercise. His journey then took him to one of Lebanon's leading athletics clubs, Let's Run, in 2021, where coach Georges Assaf provided the ideal environment for his continued progression.

Today, at Tennessee, Ibrahim trains under Duane Ross, a very respected coach, who has guided multiple American Olympic champions as well as French star Clément Ducos, fourth in the 400m hurdles at the Paris Olympic Games. The gains Ibrahim has made in raw speed this season have been spectacular. He explains:

I improved a lot in terms of quality of running and speed.

In my event, I used to rely more on my hurdling ability than my speed. Now I'm much faster, to the point that I ran a 44.5 split in the 4x400m relay at the NCAA Championships. Back in Lebanon, my relay splits were around 46.0 or 46.9. As a consequence of that improvement in speed, adjustments naturally have to be made in my hurdling approach. I now need to learn how to use that new speed efficiently over the 400m hurdles. Next season's target will thus be to implement the speed that I've generated inside the hurdles."

The potential to reach world-class status

It remains difficult to determine just how far Ibrahim's talent can take him. The past two Olympic champions in the event, Norway's Karsten Warholm (now 30) and American Rai Benjamin (now 29), set their lifetime bests at 25 years and five months for Warholm, and at 24 years and one month for Benjamin. Since then, both have remained relatively close to those performances without improving upon them.

Advances in sports science and physical conditioning now allow many athletes to sustain, or even improve, their peak performance at a later age. The best example in the 400m hurdles is Dominican legend Félix Sánchez, who captured Olympic gold at the London 2012 Games just days before turning 35. Ibrahim therefore still has potentially many outstanding years ahead of him.

An athlete who has raised the profile of Lebanese athletics

Ibrahim's international performances have undeniably elevated Lebanese athletics. Yet despite athletics being the world's second most popular and widely followed individual sport after tennis, it has yet to generate significant public enthusiasm in Lebanon. The country's difficult economic and political environment has naturally played a role, while sponsors overwhelmingly prioritize team sports, which provide greater short-term visibility, brand exposure and commercial returns for the brand.

The lack of domestic competition is particularly evident in the men's 400m hurdles, where Ibrahim currently has no serious rival at the national level. Asked by The Beiruter how participation in the event could be encouraged and local competition strengthened, the Tennessee athlete said:

There need to be 400m hurdles races organized across Lebanon. Regional championships could be created, even if participation is initially low. That would gradually introduce the event throughout the country and eventually generate interest and inspire young athletes to take up my discipline.

Improving his mental approach to peak at major championships

The three biggest championship finals of Ibrahim's career include the 2025 Asian Championships, the 2025 FISU World University Games, and the 2026 NCAA Championships. One could also add his appearances at the 2023 and 2025 World Athletics Championships, where he competed through “Wild-cards” awarded as Lebanon's highest-ranked athlete. Unfortunately, none of those five races produced either a personal best or even a season's best.

Major championships demand a specific psychological approach, and the University of Tennessee provides dedicated sports psychology resources to help athletes perform under pressure. Ibrahim is determined to take full advantage of those resources during his final collegiate season and thus raise his chances of performing a D-day.

Mastering the balance between academics and athletics

Despite his athletic ambitions, the seven-time Lebanese champion has never relaxed his commitment to his studies. He explains: "I'm entering my final year in Information Science. Tennessee has helped me tremendously in balancing academics with my athletic career. Student-athletes receive incredible support in the United States. Whenever I travel for competitions, I can work with my professors to adjust my schedule. Even exam dates can be rearranged.

They make everything possible so we can succeed in both sport and academics. I finished first in the entire NCAA among student-athletes while combining sports and studies. They combined the points I scored for Tennessee at the NCAA Championships with my GPA, which was 4.0, and I ranked first in the United States based on those two criteria."

Should Ibrahim successfully clear the milestones awaiting him in 2027, he would not only qualify for the 2028 Olympic Games but could also establish himself among the world's elite in the men's 400m hurdles for years to come.