Oman athletes excel at Pan Arab Games
Algires, The Gulf Observer: Oman sprinters have earned all-round plaudits after their medal-winning display at the ongoing 13th Pan Arab Games in Algiers.
Oman Olympic Committee (OOC) chairman Khalid Al Zubair led the praise of the athletes, who so far have collected a total of seven medals, including two gold, two silver and three bronze medals.
In a telephone call to Oman’s chef-de-mission Ahmed Al Jhdhamy from Bangkok, Al Zubair said: “I would like to congratulate the athletes, coaches and the sports associations for bringing laurels for the Sultanate. We are proud of their achievements.”
Al Zubair is in Bangkok, Thailand to attend the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) Congress.
Oman men’s relay team produced an excellent display to clinch the gold in the 4x100m event on Thursday.
The relay quartet of Rashid Al Asmi, Barakat Al Harthi, Mohammed Al Saadi and Ali Al Balushi clinched the gold with a time of 39:70 seconds. Bahrain took silver in 40.19, with hosts Algeria completing the podium in 40.35s for bronze.
It was a nice comeback for the quartet who were disqualified at the Arab Athletics Championship in Morocco recently for dropping the baton during the race.
For Barakat Al Harthi it was his second individual medal at the Games after the star sprinter bagged a bronze in the blue riband 100m race on Wednesday.
Bahrain’s Saeed Al Khaldi triumphed in the men’s 100m at the Stade du 5 Juillet in Algiers. Al Khaldi bettered his leading semi-final time by 0.05 to take gold with a 10.22s finish.
He was joined on the podium by runner-up Chakir Machmour of Morocco (10.24s) and Barakat Al Harthi, who clocked 10:37s.
Al Harthi had claimed a 100m silver at Doha 2011. Al Harthi’s team-mate Ali Al Balushi was fourth with a time of 10.59s.
Oman collected their first gold when Fatek Beit Jaaboub claimed the high jump title, clearing 2.16m on Tuesday night. Oman’s young sportsman Qusay Al Rawahi bagged a silver in the 100m para-athletics T12/13 event.
The other medallist for Oman was Salim Al Yarubi who won two bronze medals. Al Yarubi won a bronze in the long jump with a leap of 7.55m. Algerian Yasser Mohammed won the gold with a jump of 7.83m.
His second medal came in triple jump when he leapt 15.41m while Algerian Yasser Mohammed took the gold with a leap of 17.30m.
Oman’s Mohammed Al Saadi also got his second medal, with a silver in the 200m race with a time of 20.94. Chakir Machmour of Morocco won the gold in 20.73s.
Oman’s chef-de-mission Al Jhdhamy said: “Our athletes have excelled and got some great results. Winning gold in high jump and 4x100m relay amid such a tough competition underlines the talent our athletes have. We hope for more such results in weightlifting, sailing and football.”
National athletics coach, Mohammed Al Hooti, expressed his satisfaction on the performance of his athletes.
“I am pleased with the display so far. The results are due to the hard work, training camp and participation at the Arab Athletics Championships in Morocco prior to this event,” he said.
“The results will give a boost to the morale of our athletes as they prepare for the Asian Games in China in September,” he added.
Oman Athletics Association board member Khaula Al Rawahi said: “The performances of athletes have shown remarkable improvement and we are delighted with the results. Winning gold in the relay was special as the quartet had the disappointment of being disqualified at the recent Arab athletics meet in Morocco. This time, they had a perfect exchange of the baton and also raced to victory.”
Oman’s woman sprinter Mazoon Al Alawi may not have won a medal but she was fourth in the 100m and 100m hurdles respectively.
Mazoon clocked 14.08s in the 100m hurdles, which was won by Bahrain’s Aminat Jamal in 13.55s. In the 100m race, Mazoon timed 11.72 to finish behind third-placed Kuwait’s Mudhawi Al Shammari (11.56). Bahrain’s Edidiong Odiong won the race in 11.27s.
Al Rawahi said that the national team will now head straight to 2023 Asian Athletics Championships, which will be the 24th edition of the Asian meet. It will be held from July 12-16 in Bangkok.
The athletics competition got over at Pan Arab Games with Oman sixth on the overall medals tally with 2 gold, 2 silver and 3 bronze medals.
Oman now have medal hopes from the football team and the sailors with the Olympic football team taking on Sudan in a crucial Group A match later in Constantine on Saturday. A win or a draw will seal Oman’s spot in the
Semi Finals
Oman drew with Algeria in their opening match before Akram Habreesh-coached side defeated Lebanon 1-0 to raise hopes of a semi-final spot.
Eight teams are taking part in the football tournament. Oman are pooled with hosts Algeria, Lebanon and Sudan while Group B comprises Mauritania, Saudi Arabia, Palestine and Syria.
