Category: Sports

ARAB ATHLETES Bring Home 17 Medals from the 2024 Paris Olympics

From weightlifting to gymnastics and boxing, Arab athletes made the nation proud at the Olympics.

Meet the Olympics winners here

The 2024 Olympics concluded last night in Paris, and have marked a very special season for Arab athletes.

Despite controversy and a few ups and downs over the past 17 days, the best sportswomen and sportsmen from the region did their nations proud, earning a total of 17 medals. Overall, the medals were won by athletes from seven countries: Qatar, Jordan, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Bahrain and Algeria. Bahrain won the highest number of medals this time with four major wins (two gold, one silver, and one bronze). In second place was Algeria, bringing home three medals (two gold, one bronze).

Tied in third place, Egypt and Tunisia earned three medals each (one gold, one silver, one bronze), followed by Morocco, which also won three medals (two gold, one bronze). Jordan came in fifth with one silver medal, and Qatar completed the seventeen wins with a bronze medal.

It’s no easy feat earning an Olympics medal, and while 2024 has marked a proud moment for the region, it’s also important to note that this isn’t the first time our athletes have brought home this number of wins. Back in 2020, the Tokyo Olympics saw Arab athletes earn a total of 18 medals!

Among this year’s winners, some of the most talked about athletes were the ones that went through the biggest hardships. Algeria’s Imane Kheliff faced speculation and bullying at a global level, but remained undeterred in her pursuit for gold. Winning her medal last week, she said, “I sent them a message with this gold medal, and I say my dignity has been restored and my honor is above anything else.”

Days prior to Khelif’s proud moment, France-born Algerian athlete Kaylia Nemour (who be made history when she became the first-ever African gold medalist in gymnastics. The win was twice as special given Nemour’s past dispute with the French gymnastics federation, which led to her switching from competing for France to competing for Algeria in 2023.

Also in the list of noteworthy names is Tunisia’s Firas Katoussi, who won a gold medal in 80kg taekwondo, Morocco’s Soufiane El Bakkali, who brought hold gold in 3,000m steeplechase, and Egypt’s Ahmed Elgendy, who set a world record with 1,555 points in modern pentathlon. Congratulations to all the athletes who represented the region and did their nations proud. Below, a complete list of all the Olympics winners from the region.

Algeria
Gold: Imane Khelif, women’s 66kg boxing

Gold: Kaylia Nemour, women’s uneven bars artistic gymnastics

Bronze: Djamel Sedjati, men’s 800m

Bahrain
Gold: Winfred Yavi, women’s 3000m steeplechase

Gold: Akhmed Tazhudinov, men’s freestyle 97kg wrestling

Silver: Salwa Eid Naser, women’s 400m

Bronze: Gor Minasyan, men’s 102kg weightlifting

Egypt
Gold: Ahmed ElGendy, men’s individual modern pentathlon

Silver: Sara Ahmed, women’s 81kg weightlifting

Bronze: Mohamed ElSayed, men’s épée individual fencing

Jordan
Silver: Zaid Kareem, men’s 68kg taekwondo

Morocco
Gold: Soufiane El Bakkali, men’s 3000m steeplechase

Bronze: Men’s football team

Qatar
Bronze: Mutaz Essa Barshim, men’s high jump

Tunisia
Gold: Firas Katoussi, men’s 80kg taekwondo

Silver: Fares Ferjani, men’s sabre individual fencing

Bronze: Mohamed Khalil Jendoubi, men’s 58kg taekwondo

source/content: en.vogue.me /nitya chablani (headline edited)

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ARAB ATHLETES

BAHRAIN: PARIS OLYMPICS 2024 : Gor Minasyan grabs third Olympic medal for Bahrain at Paris Olympics 2024

Bahraini athlete Gor Minasyan secured the third Olympic medal for his country in Paris after winning bronze in the 102+kg weightlifting on Sunday.

Bahrain’s Olympic run in Paris has proved to be its most successful one yet after winning four medals so far. 

More Bahraini athletes are set to compete on Sunday, increasing hope for the country to secure more medals. 

Wrestler Akhmed Tazkhudinov will compete in the finals of the men’s freestyle 97kg wrestling against Georgia.

source/content: arabnews.com (headline edited)

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More Bahraini athletes are set to compete on Sunday, increasing hope for the country to secure more medals. (Supplied)

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BAHRAIN

BAHRAIN: PARIS OLYMPICS 2024: Wrestler Akhmed Tazhudinov wins second gold medal for Bahrain at the Paris Olympics 2024

Wrestler Akhmed Tazhudinov secured the second gold medal for Bahrain at the Paris Olympics after defeating the Georgian Givi Matcharashvili.

His victory secured Bahrain’s fourth medal at the Paris Olympics and the first ever in wrestling at the Olympic Games. This is Bahrain’s first-ever medal outside of athletics.

The 21-year-old wrestler won in the men’s 97kg freestyle wrestling. Georgia’s Givi Matcharashvili won silver, while Azerbaijan’s Magomedkhan Magomedov and Iran’s Amirali Azarpira took bronze.

source/content: arabnews.jp (headline edited)

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BAHRAIN / RUSSIA

BAHRAIN: PARIS OLYMPICS 2024: Bahrain’s Winfred Yavi reigns in women’s 3,000m steeplechase, wins gold

Yavi jumped for joy after crossing the line, having overtaken Chemutai with an explosive final sprint that left the Ugandan who had led most of the race unable to respond.

Bahrain’s Winfred Yavi won the women’s Olympic 3,000m steeplechase gold medal on Tuesday, dethroning Uganda’s Peruth Chemutai who had to settle for silver.

Yavi jumped for joy after crossing the line, having overtaken Chemutai with an explosive final sprint that left the Ugandan who had led most of the race unable to respond.

Chemutai was in shock after Yavi, 24, stole the finish to add the Olympic title to last year’s world championship, setting an Olympic record time of 8 minutes 52.76 seconds. “This is like a dream come true. It’s something special,” Yavi told reporters. “It means a lot to me and also to the country.”

Kenyan 20-year-old Faith Cherotich, ranked third in the world, claimed bronze on her Olympic debut.

On Wednesday, American Quincy Hall dug deep in the final metres to overhaul Briton Matthew Hudson-Smith and take the 400m gold. Hall ran a personal best of 43.40s and give the US their first triumph since LaShawn Merritt in 2008.

Hudson-Smith bettered his own European record with 43.44 for silver and Zambia’s 21-year-old Muzala Samukonga set his second successive national record with 43.74 to take bronze.

Emulating Lewis

Miltiadis Tentoglou flexed his biceps, draped the Greek flag over his shoulders and stared up into the clear night sky above the packed Stade de France.

It was a moment to savor: Tentoglou became only the second man after Carl Lewis to win two consecutive Olympic long jump titles, adding the gold on Tuesday night to the one he claimed at Tokyo three years ago.

“It’s a great achievement,” said Tentoglou, who also claimed the world title last year. “Not bad.” His gold was the first for Greece in any sport at the Paris Games.

Tentoglou’s second jump of 8.48 meters (27 feet, 10 inches) won it. Wayne Pinnock, a 23-year-old Jamaican, got the silver with a leap of 8.36 (27-5 1/4), and Mattia Furlani, a 19-year-old Italian, finished third with a best effort of 8.34 (27 4 1/2).

Upset win

The men’s 1,500 was billed as a bar brawl between the two strongest 1,500m runners in the world. Nobody figured the little-known American guy would steal the show.

Cole Hocker beat Jakob Ingebrigtsen and Josh Kerr to pull the upset of the Games with an unexpected victory. He wonin an Olympic-record 3 minutes, 27.65 seconds.

Reuters

source/content: telegraphindia.com (headline edited)

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Winfred Yavi of Bahrain on way to the gold medal in the women’s 3000m steeplechase final in Saint-Denis on Tuesday. Reuters

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BAHRAIN

MOROCCO: PARIS OLYMPICS 2024 : Morocco beats Egypt 6-0 to win bronze in men’s football event

Ezzalzouli opened the scoring with a superb shot into the top corner after 23 minutes, before the tournament’s top scorer Rahimi doubled the lead three minutes later.

Morocco claimed the bronze medal at the Olympic men’s football tournament with a crushing 6-0 win over Egypt in Nantes on Thursday.

Morocco, which lost 2-1 to Spain in the semifinals, bounced back with the biggest win in the tournament to reach an Olympic podium for the first time thanks two a Soufiane Rahimi double, and strikes from Abde Ezzalzouli, Bilal El Khannouss, Akram Nakach and Achraf Hakimi.

Ezzalzouli opened the scoring with a superb shot into the top corner after 23 minutes, before the tournament’s top scorer Rahimi doubled the lead three minutes later with a fine header from Ezzalzouli’s cross.

El Khannouss got on the scoresheet six minutes into the second half with a great low finish after a solo run into the centre of the box and Rahimi netted his eighth Olympic goal to make it 4-0.

Defender Nakach tapped in from Rahimi’s pass and captain Hakimi completed the rout with a terrific free kick three minutes from time.

source/content: sportstar.thehindu.com (headline edited)

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Morocco’s bronze medallists pose for a photograph with their medals after the men’s final football match between France and Spain during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Parc des Princes in Paris. (File/AFP)

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MOROCCO

EGYPT: PARIS OLYMPICS 2024: Modern pentathlon: Ahmed Elgendy claims men’s Olympic gold for Egypt after dominant performance

The bespectacled Ahmed Elgendy claimed Olympic gold in modern pentathlon at the Palace of Versailles on Saturday, 10 August for the first Olympic gold medal for Egypt and Africa in the sport. The Tokya 2020 silver medallist did so with a world record score of 1,555 points.

Japan won their first ever Olympic medal in the sport courtesy of Sato Taishu with silver with 1,542 points and Giorgio Malan took bronze with 1,536 points, Italy’s first medal in modern pentathlon since Seoul 1988.

“It means a lot because the last three years that I’ve been competing, I’ve had a lot of struggles and many physical and mental problems with injuries and pain,” said Elgendy. “I’m happy that it didn’t stop me. I’m happy to win at these games in 2024, with the last horse riding.

“It’s the only gold medal (for Egypt) in this Olympic Games (so far). We had one bronze earlier, and one silver today in weightlifting. I’m so proud to get this medal for Egypt.”

“I was aiming for the gold medal,” said Sato. “Still, I am happy because this is my first medal as a Japanese athlete.

“I’m very excited to see the people’s reaction when I get home to Japan.”

“The laser run was very hard,” said Malan. “All are very good, and I had to try to reach my highest limits. The last shooting, I did (well). I gave it all the last lap, and it was enough for bronze.”

Defending Olympic champion Joe Choong of Great Britain struggled with the fencing aspect, leaving him with too much to do in the final laser-run, finishing in ninth (1,519 points).

Elgendy had promised he would win Olympic gold after claiming silver to Choong in Tokyo and honoured that pledge in style with an almost faultless performance, with all five sports taking place in one venue for the first time.

Heading into the final laser run, which comprises five 600m laps broken up by four visits to the shooting range, Elgendy’s 50-second lead — amassed through the equestrian jumping, fencing and swimming disciplines — enabled him to uncharacteristically miss a few shots on the range but still win with ease.

The second-placed athletes heading into the laser run, 17 seconds after the Egyptian, were Switzerland’s Alexandre Dallenbach and Jun Woongtae of the Republic of Korea, who had the same number of points.

The Swiss struggled with the first phase of shooting, eventually finishing 14th. Jun, the bronze medallist in Japan, was overtaken in the final stages by the first sprinting Italian duo of Malan and Matteo Cicinelli (1,532), who finished fifth, and Mexico’s Emiliano Hernandez, in fourth (1,532).

source/content: olympics.com (headline edited)

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Picture by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images

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EGYPT

TUNISIA : PARIS OLYMPICS 2024: Mohamed Khalil Jendoubi wins bronze in taekwondo at Paris 2024

The 22-year-old backs up his silver-medal winning heroics from Tokyo with more Olympic glory.

Tunisia’s Mohamed Khalil Jendoubi went through his full repertoire of tricks to seal bronze in the men’s taekwondo -58kg category at  Paris 2024 on Wednesday.

Remarkably, Jendoubi, the silver medallist at the same weight from the Tokyo Games, now has two Olympic medals in his collection at just 22 years old. He also won bronze at the 2022 World Championships and is the reigning African champion.

He was denied a shot at gold – or another silver – by defeat to Park Tae-joon of South Korea in the semi-finals.

Instead, he found himself in the bronze medal match against the second seed Adrian Vicente of Spain, who had earlier beaten Palestine’s Omar Ismail in the Round of 16.

Vicente edged in front with a punch to lead 1-0, but Jendoubi responded in emphatic fashion and led for the remainder of the contest.

Two scoring head kicks, one awarded after review, along with two body kicks and a penalty saw him take the first round 11-3.

The second round was initially closer but Jendoubi edged 2-0 in front with a scoring kick to the trunk.

A head kick, followed by another scoring shot to the trunk, stretched his advantage to 7-0 and all but sealed the win.

At that point he showcased all his skills as he put on a show in the closing stages to seal a 12-1 victory in the round – and with it a bronze medal.

It was Tunisia’s second medal of these Games following fencer Fares Ferjani’s superb silver in the men’s individual sabre.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia’s Dunya Abutaleb narrowly missed out on a historic bronze in the women’s -49kg category.

Abutaleb, who was bidding to become the Kingdom’s first ever female Olympic medallist, lost 2-0 in the bronze medal contest against Iran’s Mobina Nematzadeh.

The Iranian sneaked the first round 3-0 with a head kick with just seconds left on the clock.

Abutaleb, 27, thought she was on course to level the match but her appeal for a head kick of her own wasn’t upheld in the second round.

Nematzadeh then contorted impressively to land a scorpion kick and seal her bronze medal in style.

Earlier in the day, Palestine’s Ismail was defeated in the men’s -58kg Round of 16 – but not before pushing the experienced Vicente close.

UAE-based Ismail, who lives in Sharjah, was seconds away from taking the match into a deciding round.

After losing the first round 8-3, Ismail led the second 6-3 with 10 seconds remaining, but a head kick from Vicente in the final exchanges turned the contest back in the Spaniard’s favour.

Considering the pedigree of his opponent – Vicente won bronze at last year’s World Championships – Ismail, 18, proved he can challenge the best in the sport.

Ismail had earlier made a winning start to his campaign with a 2-0 victory over Hadi Tiranvalipour of the Refugee Olympic Team.

Ismail won the first round 4-3 to take an early lead and followed it up with a 5-0 second-round victory to book his place in the Round of 16.

source/content: thenationalnews.com (headline edited)

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Mohamed Khalil Jendoubi celebrates with his coaches after claiming a bronze medal. Getty Images

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TUNISIA

JORDAN: PARIS OLYMPICS 2024 : Zaid Mustafas’s first silver medal in Taekwondo at Paris Olympics

Zaid Mustafa of the national taekwondo team has clinched the silver medal in the men’s under-68 kg category at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. 

On Thursday evening, HRH Prince Feisal bin Hussein, president of the Jordan Olympic Committee and member of the Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee, presented Mustafa with his medal.

Prince Feisal congratulated Mustafa on his achievement, which was Jordan’s first medal at the Paris Games, and praised his exceptional performance throughout the competition.

Mustafa’s win adds to Jordan’s growing Olympic legacy, adding to the Kingdom’s previous gold, silver and bronze medals from the last three Olympiads.

source/content: jordantimes.com (headlines edited)

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Mustafa’s win adds to Jordan’s growing Olympic legacy (Petra photo)

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JORDAN

ALGERIA : PARIS OLYMPICS 2024: Kaylia Nemour wins Algeria’s first gymnastics gold at Paris Olympics 2024

The 17-year-old outscored China’s Qiu Qiyuan and USA’s Sunisa Lee in the uneven bars final for Algeria’s first medal in Paris.

Algerian teenager Kaylia Nemour wept tears of joy as she became the first African athlete to win an Olympic gymnastics medal with gold on the uneven bars in Paris, outshining several big names in the competition and registering her country’s first medal at the 2024 Olympic Games.

The 17-year-old French-born athlete’s breathtaking routine wowed the crowd in at the Bercy Arena on Sunday and helped her bag the title ahead of China’s Qiu Qiyuan, with Team USA’s Sunisa Lee snatching bronze. Defending Olympic uneven bars champion Nina Derwael of Belgium finished fourth.

Nemour was under pressure after Qiyuan posted a score of 15.500 with an immaculate routine, but the rising star of gymnastics outperformed the Chinese gymnast with an exceptionally difficult routine to finish with a score of 15.700.

The Algerian’s fast-paced routine, featuring a number of complex release-and-catch manoeuvres, delighted the crowd.

As soon as she landed, Nemour was in tears, knowing she had perhaps done enough to land her country’s first-ever gold in gymnastics and first medal of the Paris Olympics.

‘Performance of my life’

Emotions ran high for the young gymnast when her triumph was confirmed and she draped herself with the Algerian flag before stepping up to soak in the applause.

“I’m so shocked, it’s the dream of all my life. I can’t believe it has happened, I’m speechless,” said Nemour.

“In qualifying I had 15.600, when I saw her 15.500 I said, I really had to fight and gave the performance of my life,” said the Algerian.

“It’s crazy. I’m honoured to have this medal after all that has happened. It’s a relief.”

Nemour has competed for Algeria since last year after a dispute with the French gymnastics federation, but found plenty of support at the Bercy Arena.

source/content: aljazeera.com (headline edited)

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Kaylia Nemour was in tears upon planting her feet after her routine [Loic Venance/AFP]

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ALGERIA / FRENCH

ALGERIA : PARIS OLYMPICS 2024 : Djamel Sedjati takes bronze in 800m final as Algeria have their best Olympics

Runner clinches third place and joins gold medallists Kelif and Nemour.

Djamel Sedjati won a bronze medal in the 800m final in Paris on Saturday to help Algeria to achieve their most successful Olympic Games.

He joins gold medal winners Kaylia Neymour and Imane Khelif on the podium at these Games.

Pre-race favourite Sedjati was beaten by Kenya’s Emmanuel Wanyonyi and world champion Marco Arop of Canada at the Stade de France on Saturday night.

Wanyonyi clocked a personal best of 1 min 41.19 secs, with Arop taking silver just one-hundredth of a second behind in a North American record. Sedjati finished in 1:41.50.

After the race, Wanyonyi, 20, said: “This race was tough for me. I felt more pressure because I knew it’s not easy. Sedjati is not easy (to beat), he’s a tough guy.”

Sedjati said: “I won the bronze medal, but I wanted the gold medal.

“It was a very fast race. I didn’t start very well, but I’m very happy with the medal after the medals from Kaylia Nemour in gymnastics and Imane Khelif in boxing.

“I’m very proud to bring home the third medal for Algeria. It’s one of the fastest Olympic finals in history, with four runners on 1:41. I already did my maximum to ensure I got on the podium. I’m happy with this bronze medal.”

Boxer Khelif defeated China’ Yang Liu to win the final of the women’s 66kg division to take gold on Friday night.

The 25-year-old, who has seen her campaign in Paris overshadowed by a gender controversy, defied her critics as she comprehensively outboxed Yang to earn a richly deserved unanimous decision in front of thousands of noisy Algerian fans at Roland Garros.

Khelif, who only started boxing eight years ago, scored again and again with her jab and backed it up with her signature straight right hand as she swept all three rounds 5-0 for the biggest win of her career.

“I’m very happy. For eight years this has been my dream and I’m now the Olympic champion and gold medallist,” said Khelif. “I’ve worked for eight years, no sleep, eight years tired. Now I’m Olympic champion.

“I want to thank all the people who have come to support me. All the people from Algeria and all the people at my base. I want to thank all the team, my coach. Thank you so much.”

Nemour produced “the performance of her life”  to become the first Algerian and African to win an Olympic gymnastics medal with gold on the uneven bars on Sunday.

The 17-year-old took the title ahead of China’s Qiu Qiyuan, with American Sunisa Lee snatching bronze with the final performance of the session. Defending champion Nina Derwael of Belgium finished fourth.

“I’m so shocked, it’s the dream of all my life. I can’t believe it has happened, I’m speechless,” said Nemour.

source/content: thenationalnews.com (headline edited)

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Algeria’s Djamel Sedjati with his bronze medal after the 800m final at Stade de France on August 10, 2024. Getty Images

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ALGERIA