Muscat: Oman athletics team impressed with three gold and a silver as the Sultanate of Oman doubled their tally to 14 medals on Day 4 of the GCC Games in Doha, Qatar.
After four days of competition, Oman have six gold, one silver and seven bronze medals in the fourth GCC Games that will run until May 22.
In Thursday’s late action, Oman athletics team showed their power in a golden performance with Mazoon al Alawi (women’s long jump), Fatik Beit Jaboub (men’s high jump) and star sprinter Ali al Balushi (men’s 100 metres) turning on the style at the Qatar Sports Club main field.
Oman Olympian Mazoon, who also doubles up as a sprinter, claimed her gold by covering 5.72 metres to get past second-placed Aisha al Khedher of Kuwait (5.53 m) and Salma Hamid (4.88 m) of hosts Qatar.
Oman repeated the feat in the men’s high jump with Fatik Beit Jaboub clinching a sensational gold that he shared with Qatar’s world and Olympic champion Mutaz Barshim after both jumpers cleared 2.16 metres. Saudi Arabia’s Ahmed al Taruti claimed the bronze (2.09 m).
Fatik affirmed that winning the gold medal was a wonderful feeling, especially given the strong competition in the high jump.
The Omani high jumper said: “Reaching the podium and winning the gold medal has a special flavour, especially with the presence of Olympic champion Mutaz Barshim, who gave me an extra incentive to give my best and compete strongly for the gold. I was very well prepared for the competition and thank God, it was successful".
In the men’s 100 m sprint, Oman made a one-two finish with Ali al Balushi powering ahead with a timing of 10.13 seconds. Teammate Mulham al Balushi took silver with 10.28 seconds. Saudi Arabia’s Abdulaziz Atafi (10.37 sec) claimed the bronze.
Ali expressed his immense joy after winning the gold, emphasising that this achievement represents a significant morale booster for him to continue achieving positive results throughout the Games.
The Omani sprinter said: “The 100-metre race was extremely challenging and thank God I was able to win the gold medal and dedicate it to the Sultanate of Oman and the Omani people”.
ISRAA TAKES SECOND GOLD
Oman women’s fencing star Israa al Siyabi continued her remarkable success, winning her second gold medal of the Games in the foil event.
In the épée event, Ahmed al Kaskas and Al Harith al Harthy added two bronze medals to Oman's tally, continuing the series of Omani achievements at the Gulf Games.
The Sultanate of Oman won seven medals in the first two days of the Games. The national taekwondo team secured five medals, including a gold medal won by Fidaa al Barwani in the 49 kg weight class and four bronze medals won by Nibras al Touqi in the 58 kg weight class, Omaima al Hinai in the 49 kg weight class, Mohammed al Hajri in the 80 kg weight class and Shabib al Sinani in the 68 kg weight class.
The national fencing team also won its first gold medal, won by Israa al Siyabi in the épée competition and a bronze medal won by Ali al Busaidy in the foil competition.
GREAT ACHIEVEMENT FOR ATHLETICS
Retired Brigadier General Said bin Mohammed al Hajri, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Oman Athletics Federation, praised the technical levels displayed by Oman athletics team. He emphasised that these results were the fruit of continuous work and the team's excellent preparation for the Games.
Said al Hajri said: “We congratulate the whole team, the athletes and the fans in the Sultanate of Oman on this remarkable achievement after the national athletics team secured four medals on the first day of the athletics competitions at the Gulf Games. Thanks be to God, the tremendous efforts exerted by the players, technical staff and management have culminated in this honourable success. We hope, God willing, to continue winning more medals during the remaining competitions of the Games”.
DAY 5 COMPETITIONS
On Saturday, the fifth day of the Games, Oman athletics team will compete in a variety of events as they look to maintain their strong presence and compete for the top spot in the overall athletics standings.
In shooting, Oman will participate in the 10-metre air rifle mixed team event, hoping to continue their impressive performance. Oman snooker team will also continue their competition on the second day.
Oman volleyball team will begin their tournament campaign against Bahrain at 5 pm (Oman Time) at the Aspire Dome. The second match at the same venue will see the UAE face Qatar at 7:30 pm.
The coaching staff, led by Tunisian coach Nizar Chkili, worked to prepare the players optimally, especially as this is the team's first participation under his leadership since his appointment last January to guide the team through the upcoming phase.
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