Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Monday, Mar 09, 2026

Abdulghani clinches first gold for Saudi Arabia in Gulf Games

Abdulghani clinches first gold for Saudi Arabia in Gulf Games

Ali Abdulghani grabbed Saudi Arabia’s first gold medal in the 3rd Gulf Games, which kicked off in Kuwait on Monday. He emerged tops in the javelin throw by hurling a distance of 71.15 meters.
The Saudi stars who sparkled on the first day of the event also included sprinters Abdullah Abkar, Mohammed Daoud Tolo, and Mazen Al-Yassin, who won silver medals, from among a contingent of over 250 Saudi athletes who are participating in the Games.

Female sprinter Mizna Al-Nasser won the bronze medal in the 10,000-meter race with a time of 45:32 minutes. Mizna’s bronze was the first medal for the Kingdom in the Games, in which female athletes are competing for the first time.

In the men’s 100-meter race, the silver went to Saudi sprinter Abdullah Abkar with a time of 10.21 seconds, while sprinter Mohammed Daoud came in fourth in a time of 10.32 seconds.

Mazen Al-Yassin bagged the silver medal by finishing second in the men’s 400-meter race with a time of 45.83 seconds.

Mohammed Daoud Tolo claimed silver in the shot put with a throw of 20.49 meters, while Hammoud Al-Alwani took bronze in the long jump by clearing a distance of 7.15 meters.

Female athlete Roaa Al-Sulaimani finished fifth in the 100-meter hurdles for women with a time of 18.83 seconds and in the women’s 100-meter race, Saudi Arabia’s Olympic runner Yasmeen Al-Dabbagh finished fifth with a time of 12.90 seconds while Lujain Al-Hamid came in the seventh position with a time of 13.72 seconds.

Saja Jalal finished sixth in the women’s shot put with a distance of 6.84 meters. She also came fifth in the long jump with a leap of 3.98 meters.

In the futsal competitions, the Saudi men’s team clinched a 3-1 win over Bahrain while the women’s team lost to Bahrain 4-1 in their opening matches.

The third Gulf Games were scheduled to begin on Friday, May 13, but was postponed for three days due to the death of UAE President Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan. The Games will run through until the end of May at a dozen venues in Kuwait.

Monday’s events included athletics for men and women at Ahamad Al-Rashdan Track and Field in Keifan area; Futsal and basketball at Sheikh Saad Al-Abdallah complex in Sabah Al-Salem area in addition to shooting training at Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Olympic Shooting Complex.

In the second edition of the Gulf Game, which was held in Dammam in 2015, Saudi Arabia emerged the champions with 115 medals, including 57 gold, 35 silver and 23 bronze.

Around 1,700 athletes from six GCC nations are competing in the Gulf Games in 16 disciplines including handball, volleyball, basketball, futsal, swimming, athletes, shooting, karate, judo, tennis, cycling, ice-hockey, table tennis, padel and e-sports.

Women are competing for the first time in seven sports, including futsal, e-sports, athletics, cycling, 3x3 basketball, padel and table tennis.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Saudi Crown Prince Holds Strategic Calls With Spanish and Ukrainian Leaders Amid Regional Tensions
Kuwait’s Jazeera Airways Shifts Operations to Saudi Arabia Amid Regional Airspace Disruptions
Saudi Arabian Grand Prix: Why Jeddah’s Night Race Has Become One of Formula One’s Most Distinctive Events
F1 Leadership Addresses Bahrain and Saudi Arabia Races as Middle East Conflict Raises Safety Concerns
Zelenskyy Offers Saudi Crown Prince Assistance to Counter Iranian Drone Threat
Seventh U.S. Service Member Dies from Injuries After Iranian Strike in Saudi Arabia
Civilian Infrastructure Increasingly Hit as Iran Conflict Expands and Saudi Arabia Reports First Fatalities
Saudi Arabia Warns Iran to Halt Attacks and Signals Potential Retaliation
US Embassy in Riyadh Issues Security Alert Urging Americans to Shelter in Place Amid Regional Attacks
Projectile Strike on Saudi Residential Building Kills Two as Regional Conflict Expands
Saudi Arabia Warns Iran While Expanding Diplomatic Efforts to Contain Widening Middle East War
Iran’s President Rejects U.S. Surrender Demand as Drone and Missile Strikes Hit Gulf States
Saudi Arabia Intercepts Drone Swarm Targeting Strategic Shaybah Oil Field
Pakistan Faces Growing Pressure to Balance Ties With Iran and Saudi Arabia as Regional War Intensifies
Middle East Conflict Tests Mohammed bin Salman’s Vision to Transform Saudi Arabia Into a Global Hub
Proposed U.S.–Saudi Nuclear Deal Could Ease Traditional Nonproliferation Requirements
Iran Claims Strike on U.S.-Linked Oil Tanker Near Saudi Waters as Maritime Tensions Escalate
Saudi Arabia Says Air Defences Destroyed 23 Drones and Three Missiles Amid Escalating Regional Conflict
Saudi Arabia Warns Iran Against ‘Miscalculation’ After Missile and Drone Attacks Across Gulf
Iranian Missiles Intercepted Across Gulf as Air Defences Activate in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE and Bahrain
U.S. Justice Department Pursues Criminal Cases Against Cuban Officials in New Legal Push
Abrupt Cancellation of U.S. Army Exercise Sparks Speculation Over Possible Middle East Deployment
Saudi Arabia Led OPEC Output Surge Ahead of Iran Strikes, Survey Finds
Cristiano Ronaldo Travels to Spain for Hamstring Treatment After Injury in Saudi Pro League Match
Saudi Aramco Reroutes Oil to Red Sea as Strait of Hormuz Disruptions Hit Gulf Exports
Saudi Arabia Presses Ahead With Economic Diversification Despite Fiscal and External Deficits
Middle East Conflict Puts Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Formula One Races at Risk
Iran Targets Israeli Diplomatic Site in Bahrain and US Air Base in Qatar as Regional Conflict Expands
Saudi Arabia Intercepts Three Ballistic Missiles Targeting Prince Sultan Air Base
Iran Launches Fresh Missile and Drone Attacks Across Middle East as Regional War Intensifies
Saudi Arabia Opens Direct Communication Channel With Iran in Bid to Prevent Wider Regional War
Saudi Arabia Maintains Strong Fiscal Position Despite Global Uncertainty, Finance Ministry Says
Saudi Arabia Considers Response After Iranian Drone Strike Hits Major Northern Oil Refinery
Saudi Carrier Flynas Plans Limited Flight Resumption to Dubai Amid Regional Tensions
Saudi Arabia and UAE Pledge Close Coordination to Secure Oil Supplies for Japan
Middle East Conflict Casts Doubt Over Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Formula One Races
Iran Rejects Claims of Attacks on Türkiye, Azerbaijan, Saudi Arabia and Oman
Saudi Arabia Condemns Iranian Strikes Targeting Türkiye and Azerbaijan
Saudi Pro League Orders Clubs to Continue Matches Despite Escalating Regional Conflict
U.S. Embassy in Riyadh Issues Emergency Security Alert After Drone Strike and Escalating Regional Threats
Saudi Arabia Scrambles to Redirect Oil Exports as Gulf Storage Nears Capacity
Iran Expresses Gratitude to Saudi Arabia for Closing Airspace During Escalating Conflict
Saudi Arabia Fears Iranian Strikes Could Target Senior Leaders as Regional War Escalates
Iran Says Its Strikes Target Only U.S. Military Assets and Denies Attacking Saudi Arabia
Drone Strike Hits U.S. Embassy in Riyadh as Middle East Conflict Escalates
Tom Brady’s Saudi Flag Football Event May Shift to U.S. as Middle East Conflict Disrupts Plans
Iran War Strikes Saudi Arabia at a Critical Moment for Its Economic Transformation
Saudi Cabinet Declares Kingdom Will Take All Necessary Measures to Defend National Security
United States Urges Citizens to Leave Fourteen Middle Eastern Countries as Iran War Escalates
Saudi Aramco’s Ras Tanura Refinery Targeted Again in Second Drone Attack Within Two Days
×