Muscat, Nov 18
Star sprinter Ali bin Anwar al Balushi clinched Oman’s first gold medal in the ongoing Islamic Solidarity Games Riyadh 2025 on Monday.
Ali al Balushi came home in 10.30 seconds as his team-mate Mulham al Balushi (10.41) finished fourth in the final of 100 metres.
Hosts Saudi Arabia’s Abdulaziz Atafi claimed silver in 10.32 seconds while Cameroonian sprinter Eseme Emmanuel Alobwede took bronze (10.32).
Both the Omani runners had qualified for the final after impressive performances in the heats, with Ali finishing first in his heat with a time of 10.26 seconds and Mulham second in his with a time of 10.34 seconds.
Ali al Balushi expressed his overwhelming joy after becoming the fastest man in the Games, dedicating the victory is “a humble gift to the nation on its glorious National Day, and to His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik.
He explained that this gold medal is the culmination of continuous work over the past period, saying, “My goal was to raise the Sultanate of Oman’s flag high at this great event, and thank God I was able to achieve that. I thank my technical and administrative staff, the Olympic Committee, and the Ministry for their tremendous support, and I promise the fans that I will strive even harder in future competitions.”
Moosa bin Khamis al Balushi, Deputy Head of the Omani delegation, affirmed that this achievement reflects the capabilities of Omani athletes, qualifying them to compete in the most prestigious sporting events. He noted that Ali's gold medal and the weightlifting results are "the fruit of continuous support from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth (MoCSY), the follow-up of the Omani Olympic Committee, and the collaboration of the sports federations."
He added that the delegation enters this tournament with a clear ambition to win more medals in various sports, considering today's achievement a strong incentive for the other teams to continue their efforts.
OMAN IN 22ND SPOT
Oman are 22nd in the medals table after winning a gold, silver and bronze each.
Türkiye are leading the table with a total 123 medals including 61 gold, 36 silver and 26 bronze. Uzbekistan are second (22, 25, 22) and Iran are third (18, 16, 23). Hosts Saudi are sixth with 34 medals which include nine gold.
Last week, Olympian weightlifter Ammar bin Salim al Khanjari won a silver and a bronze for Oman.
The Tokyo Olympics 2020 participant claimed a silver medal in the Clean and Jerk and a bronze in the overall category in the 88 kg 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.
Brigadier General (Retired) Said bin Mohammed al Hajri, Chairman of the Oman Athletics Association, said this achievement confirms that the training and development programmes are beginning to bear fruit.
“Our athletes are capable of reaching higher levels when provided with a comprehensive training environment. Ali al Balushi's feat is an important message to young talents about the necessity of commitment and development.”
Elsewhere, Omani fencer Harith al Harthy was eliminated from the Games after losing to Iran's Amir Hossein 12-15 in the Round of 16, while Ahmed Kaskas also exited in the same round after losing to Uzbekistan's Amirkhan Doritikov 9-15.
On Tuesday, Oman’s Mohammed al Sulaimani was eliminated from the 800m qualifying rounds.
In fencing, Jana al Sharji lost against Uzbekistan’s Sevara 15–9 in the quarterfinals. Jana had reached the last eight after a win over team-mate Salma al Daghishi 15–6.
Oman Observer is now on the WhatsApp channel. Click here
