Arabs & Arabian Records Aggregator. Chronicler. Milestones of the 25 Countries of the Arabic Speaking World (official / co-official). AGCC. MENA. Global. Ist's to Top 10's. Records. Read & Enjoy./ www.arabianrecords.org
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.
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.
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.
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)
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).
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.
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.
Noor Slaoui, a 29-year-old Moroccan, has become the first Arab female equestrian to represent Africa and the Middle East after qualifying for the Paris 2024 Olympics, it was announced on Wednesday.
The professional rider has officially qualified for the Olympics, becoming one of two representatives from Africa and the Middle East, a media statement said.
Slaoui’s journey to this prestigious event marks a significant milestone in her career and for the region’s equestrian sports.
The 29-year-old is dedicated to promoting the development of equestrian sports in the MENA region, with the aim of inspiring greater representation in the coming years.
“I am honored and excited to represent my region at the Paris 2024 Olympics. This journey has been a testament to the dedication and support of my team and the incredible bond with my horses,” she said.
Slaoui said that she looked forward to challenging herself and showcasing the talent from the MENA region on the Olympic stage. “While medals are a goal, my focus is on building a strong foundation for success in the years to come,” she said.
Her passion for horses began in childhood while exploring Morocco’s landscape on horseback. This early love of animals and nature evolved into a dream of making a career of her equestrian interests.
After attaining her baccalaureate at 18, Slaoui took a gap year and moved to France. She earned her riding instructor certification at the National Riding School in Saumur, setting her on the path to equestrian sports and competition.
Later, she moved to the UK to pursue her journey and studied political science at the University of Warwick. It was during that time that when she discovered eventing, often described as the “triathlon of equestrian sports.”
Working with professional riders to refine her skills, the Moroccan managed to balance her practical experience and academic studies.
After meeting her coach and business partner, Deborah Fellous, on graduation they launched her professional riding career, representing group F — “Africa & Middle East” — on the international stage.
Currently, they manage a professional yard in England, home to 17 horses, dedicated to breeding, training and preparing them for top-tier competitions.
Over the past seven years, Slaoui has achieved several notable milestones, becoming the first Moroccan female rider to compete internationally in eventing, and representing the MENA region at the World Championships for Young Horses in 2022 and 2023.
She also participated in Nations Cup events and secured top 10 finishes in 4-star competitions.
source/content: arabnews.com (headline edited)
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Noor Slaoui, a 29-year-old Moroccan, has become the first Arab female equestrian to represent Africa and the Middle East after qualifying for the Paris 2024 Olympics. (Supplied)
Khelif defeated Anna Luca Hamori of Hungary 5:0 in the quarterfinals of the women’s 66-kilogram bout
She will win at least a bronze medal after defeating Hamori for the second victory of her tumultuous second trip to the Olympics
Boxer Imane Khelif of Algeria clinched a medal Saturday at the Paris Olympics following days of sharp scrutiny and online abuse as misconceptions about her gender have exploded into a larger clash about identity in sports.
Khelif defeated Anna Luca Hamori of Hungary 5:0 in the quarterfinals of the women’s 66-kilogram bout.
Khelif will win at least a bronze medal after defeating Hamori for the second victory of her tumultuous second trip to the Olympics.
Khelif was faced international scrutiny after the banned International Boxing Association claimed Khelif failed an unspecified eligibility test for women’s competition last year. She then won her opening bout Thursday when opponent Angela Carini of Italy tearfully abandoned the fight after just 46 seconds.
The unusual ending became a sharp wedge to drive into an already prominent divide over gender identity and regulations in sports, drawing comments from the likes of former US President Donald Trump, “Harry Potter” writer J.K. Rowling and others falsely claiming Khelif was a man or transgender.
At a Paris Games that has championed inclusion and seen other outcry over an opening ceremony performance featuring drag queens, LGBTQ+ groups say the hateful comments could pose dangers to their community and female athletes. IOC President Thomas Bach on Saturday defended Khelif and fellow boxer Lin Yu-ting of Taiwan. Khelif and Lin were disqualified in the middle of last year’s world championships by the International Boxing Association, the now-banned former governing body of Olympic boxing, after what it claimed were failed eligibility tests for the women’s competition.
Both had competed in IBA events for several years without problems, and the Russian-dominated body — which has faced years of clashes with the IOC over judging scandals, leadership decisions and financial issues — has refused to provide any information about the tests, underscoring its lack of transparency in nearly every aspect of its dealings, particularly in recent years.
“Let’s be very clear here: We are talking about women’s boxing,” Bach said Saturday. “We have two boxers who are born as a woman, who have been raised a woman, who have a passport as a woman, and who have competed for many years as women. And this is the clear definition of a woman. There was never any doubt about them being a woman.”
The IBA, which received the unprecedented punishment of being banned from Olympic participation in 2019 following years of conflict with the IOC, disqualified Khelif last year for what it said were elevated levels of testosterone.
The IBA, which is led by an acquaintance of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has not released more details on the tests, calling the process confidential.
“What we see now is that some want to own the definition of who is a woman,” Bach added. “And there I can only invite them to come up with a scientific-based new definition of who is a woman, and how can somebody being born, raised, competed and having a passport as a woman cannot be considered a woman?
“If they are coming up with something, we are ready to listen,” Bach added. “We are ready to look into it, but we will not take part in a sometimes politically motivated cultural war.”
Khelif will clinch at least a bronze medal in her second Olympics after failing to medal at the Tokyo Games held in 2021.
Khelif will face Janjaem Suwannapheng of Thailand in the 66-kg semifinals on Tuesday at Roland Garros. Suwannpheng, a silver medalist at last year’s world championships, upset defending Olympic champion Busenaz Surmeneli a few minutes before Khelif’s victory.
Lin, also a two-time Olympian, will clinch her first medal Sunday if she beats Svetlana Staneva of Bulgaria. Lin won her opening bout Friday comfortably over Uzbekistan’s Sitora Turdibekova.
Amid the scrutiny, both Khelif and Lin have received only cheers from the crowds at North Paris Arena.
“What is going on in this context in the social media, with all this hate speech, with all this aggression and abuse, and fueled by this agenda, is totally unacceptable,” Bach said.
The reduced field at the Paris Olympics boxing tournament — which has the fewest number of total boxers since 1956 — means that many fighters can clinch medals with just two victories. Boxing awards two bronze medals in each weight class, which means every semifinalist wins a medal.
The Olympic sport reached gender parity for the first time in Paris, inviting 124 men and 124 women just 12 years after women’s boxing made its Olympic debut.
source/content: arabnews.com (headline edited)
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Algeria’s Imane Khelif reacts prior the match against Hungary’s Anna Luca Hamori in the women’s 66kg quarter-final boxing match during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the North Paris Arena, in Villepinte on August 3, 2024. (Photo by MOHD RASFAN / AFP)
Palestine’s first ever Olympian dies in Gaza from lack of treatment due to Israel’s war.
The first Palestinian athlete to participate in the Olympic games died on Wednesday at the Nuseirat refugee camp in Gaza as a result of kidney failure due to power outages and medical shortages as a result of the ongoing Israeli war and siege of the enclave.
Majed Abu Maraheel, who passed away at the age of 61, became the first athlete to be the flag bearer and represent Palestinians at the Olympic Games in Atlanta in 1996. Being a distance runner, he competed in the 10km race.
Since his breakthrough on the world stage, more than 20 Palestinian men and women have been able to compete at Olympic competitions.
“He was a Palestinian icon, and he will remain as such,” his brother told Paltoday TV after the funeral.
“We tried to evacuate him to Egypt but then the Rafah crossing was closed (by Israel), and his condition kept deteriorating.”
In his preparation for the Olympics, Abu Maraheel would often be seen on his daily runs from his home in Gaza to the Erez Crossing with Israel, which Israel closed in October after imposing a full blockade on the Strip. Last month, it was reopened for the first time since then.
He would often have to pass through that crossing for his job as a day labourer in Israel.
After participating in the Olympics, Abu Maraheel went on to become a coach for other Palestinian runners hoping to replicate his presence at the international competition.
He went on to coach Nader el-Masri, another Palestinian from Gaza who competed in the 2008 Olympic games in Beijing.
Abu Maraheel’s death highlights the grim fate of many Palestinians who are facing kidney failure in Gaza.
A report from the Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor in March found that there were between 1,000 to 1,500 patients in Gaza with kidney failure, and that they are facing a “slow death” because of “a lack of medical and therapeutic services, medications and other necessities”.
Since Israel’s war on Gaza began in October, Israeli forces have launched a full siege on the enclave. In addition to killing more than 37,000 Palestinians, they have repeatedly targeted and attacked Gaza’s hospitals and healthcare infrastructure.
A report late last month by the Washington Post said that only four of Gaza’s 36 hospitals have not been damaged by munitions or been raided by Israeli forces.
However, the lack of supplies in the area because of Israel’s blockade has further exacerbated the situation.
Israel denies blocking humanitarian aid into Gaza, though aid agencies say they are not able to get aid in because of Israeli restrictions.
This January, Saudi racer Reem Al Aboud set a new acceleration benchmark for an FIA single-seater by reaching 0-60mph in 2.49 seconds in an ABB FIA Formula E GENBETA car. Ahead of International Women’s Day, we reflect on the implications of this achievement for motorsport.
Every Federation Internationale de l’Automobile-sanctioned single-seater championship race begins with a standing start. The lights at the starting line flash on, and flash off. Idle cars roar to life, accelerating through the straight and into the waiting corner.
How quickly these cars can accelerate depends on the series. F1 Academy goes from zero to 60mph in approximately 3.6 seconds. Formula 3 and Formula 2 manage in 3.1 and 2.9, respectively. Formula E’s GEN3 car takes 2.8. The current Formula 1 car takes 2.64.
But F1’s 2.64 seconds is no longer the benchmark. Now, Formula E’s newly developed GENBETA car holds the title — and with a woman in the cockpit.
Last July, Formula E unveiled its GENBETA prototype at the ExCeL London. While testing the car, World Champion Jake Hughes clinched a top speed of 218.71km/h, smashing the Guinness World Record for fastest speed indoors by more than 50km/h.
Having designated GENBETA as its development platform, Formula E sought to explore the model’s potential and performance further. The series set its sights on setting a second benchmark: the time an FIA single-seater takes to reach 0-60mph.
Yet in chasing after the F1 benchmark, Formula E was not content with breaking only technological and physical barriers. So, to honour its founding commitment to social progress, it added motorsport’s longstanding gender barrier as yet another to break.
Accordingly, Formula E tapped 23-year-old Saudi female racer Reem Al Aboud to take the GENBETA’s driver seat. The 2023 Saudi Toyota Ladies Cup Champion has partnered with the series since 2018, when she became the first Saudi woman to test a Formula E car.
Experienced in driving GEN2 and GEN3 cars — plus breaking barriers across karting, hillclimbing and autocross series — Reem was Formula E’s choice for a 2024 FIA Girls on Track Ambassador. Naturally, she was their choice for the GENBETA test as well.
And that choice certainly paid off. This January at Dirab Motor Park, Reem’s GENBETA car achieved 0-60mph in 2.49 seconds — besting F1’s by 0.15 seconds.
Of course, the technological aspect of the January test is remarkable. Behind GENBETA’s new benchmark is its front powertrain kit, which previous Formula E models (and other road electric vehicles) only use for energy harvesting. However, GENBETA also turns on this kit for greater traction during acceleration, using it to produce 536 horsepower that will launch the car into action. Instant torque allows for instant acceleration and thus a 2.49-second 0-60mph time.
What’s also remarkable is that a woman is the face of this test.
After all, motorsport’s gender barrier is cyclical. Doubt that female drivers can perform on par with their male counterparts dominates the sport. Doubtful investors shy away from funding young female drivers. Underfunded female drivers can’t enter, remain and progress through racing series. Series sorely lack female representation — when representation is what validates the reality that women can indeed perform. That lack of validation perpetuates the doubt about female drivers. And so, the cycle continues.
But Reem’s benchmark throws a wrench into this cycle by tackling the doubt head-on. She reaffirms that when women are given the time on track they are so often denied, they can excel. That when women are included in the conversation, they can contribute to the technological developments that push this sport forward. That when this sport values women, women can bring equal — if not more — value to the sport in turn.
As the face of this test, Reem represents the generations of women who have been denied from motorsport on the basis of their gender. Of women who challenge prejudice in cockpits, paddocks and audiences. Of girls who see Reem on their screens and wonder if they, too, can wrestle state-of-the-art cars at inhuman speeds.
Reem breaks the cycle by showing them that they can, and that they should.
In doing so, she and Formula E bring motorsport a step closer to a new era. One where women are no longer the exception, but the standard.
