Al Khanjari bags two medals at Islamic Solidarity Games in Riyadh

MUSCAT: Oman's Olympian weightlifter Ammar bin Salim al Khanjari won a silver and a bronze in the sixth Islamic Solidarity Games ‘Riyadh 2025’ to put the Sultanate of Oman in the medals table in the Saudi Arabian capital on Monday.
The Tokyo Olympics 2020 participant claimed a silver medal in the Clean and Jerk and a bronze in the overall category in the 88kg category.
Al Khanjari lifted a total of 354 kg, finishing behind Uzbekistan’s Sarvar Zavarkhonov, who won gold with 363 kg, and Iran’s Elia Salehi Pour, who took silver with 359 kg at the Boulevard SEF Arena in Riyadh.
The Oman coaching staff praised Al Khanjari’s outstanding performance, emphasising that this result reflects the continuous progress of weightlifting in Oman and strengthens the nation’s presence at both continental and international levels.
In another action, the Oman swimming team concluded its participation in the Games with a remarkable performance by young swimmer Mohammed al Wahaibi, who topped his heat in the 50m backstroke event, clocking 29.17 seconds to break his previous personal record. Despite his strong showing, the overall times from the other heats prevented him from advancing to the next stage.
Alongside Al Wahaibi, team-mate Mishaal al Kalibi represented Oman in swimming, marking the end of the team’s promising journey at the tournament. Notably, Al Wahaibi was the youngest swimmer in the championship, which was open to senior competitors.
Expressing his satisfaction, Al Wahaibi said: “We gave our best despite the tough competition, the journey is still long ahead of us and we are proud to have represented Oman. Hopefully, we can win a medal for our country in the future. I extend my gratitude to the Oman Olympic Committee, the swimming association and the ministry for their continuous support.”

His team-mate Al Kalibi added: “We gained great experience from this championship by competing against top-class swimmers with high-level expertise, despite the strong field. We managed to lead our heats in some races, which gave us confidence for the upcoming events.”
Oman is taking part in the sixth Islamic Solidarity Games with a strong delegation competing across eight sports, including weightlifting, swimming, esports, karate, taekwondo, athletics, para athletics and fencing. The athletes have undergone intensive training camps both locally and abroad to ensure full readiness and high performance.
The Omani weightlifting team includes Elias al Busaidy (71 kg) and Ammar al Khanjari (88 kg) under the supervision of coach Ahmed Saad Zakaria and administrator Yousuf al Hasani.
The swimming team consists of Mishaal al Kalibi and Mohammed al Wahaibi, led by coach Mohammed al Sahli and administrator Ahmed al Marhoon.
In esports, the Omani team, made up of Abdullah al Amri, Sultan al Balushi and Amjad al Zadjali and coached by Abdullah al Otaibi, competes in the Rocket League discipline.
Meanwhile, Idrees al Batrani represents Oman in karate (60 kg) and Nibras al Touqi (54 kg), along with Omima al Hinai (46 kg) in taekwondo.
The athletics team features several prominent Omani sprinters, under the supervision of administrator Ahmed al Dhahouri and coaches Imad Siraj and Fahd al Mashaikhi. Notably, Taha al Harrasi will take part in the 100m T37 category within the para athletics events.
In fencing, Oman is represented by Said al Shuaibi, Ahmed Kaskas, Al Harith al Harthy and Ali al Busaidy, alongside female fencers Esra al Siyabi, Jana al Sharji, Salma al Dughayshi and Ghazal al Fulaiti.
During the fourth day of the weightlifting competitions, the gold medals were distributed among six nations, as Türkiye and Egypt each claimed three golds, Bahrain and Uzbekistan earned two golds each, while Iran and Nigeria secured one gold medal apiece, reflecting the strong diversity and competitiveness among the athletes from across the Islamic world.
Photo by: Marwan Al Yaqubi