Kingdom shines with four medals, soaring to 33rd place at Paris 2024 Olympics

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune - www.newsofbahrain.com   

As the Paris 2024 Olympics drew to a close on Sunday night, the royal vision and support of the Kingdom of Bahrain to consolidate its position in global sports stands rewarded, securing a total of four medals, including two gold, one silver, and one broze medals, boosting the Kingdom’s standing at the Olympics from the 50s to 33 and positioning Bahrian as the leader of sports in the GCC region.

It is indeed a historic moment for Bahrian as the nation not only doubled the medal count from its highest achievement of one gold and one silver medals at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, it became the Arab country that won the most gold medals at the Paris Olympics this year.

Bahrian’s Winfred Yavi not only won the gold medal in women’s 3000m steeplechase final on August 6th but also set a new Olympic Record with a remarkable time of 8:52.76.

Her achievement put Bahrain in the spotlight at the Paris Olympics as a rising force in international athletics. Yavi’s victory was the GCC’s first gold medal at the Paris Olympics.

In her interview with the Bahrain News Agency later, Yavi expressed deep gratitude, and acknowledged that the encouragement from HM the King and the royal family played a pivotal role in her journey to winning gold and breaking the Olympic record.

Talking exclusively to The Daily Tribune in her first interview after the Olympic victory, Yavi said her next goal is to set a new world record at the World Athletics Championships in 2025 at Tokyo.

The next win for Bahrain came from Salwa Eid Naser in women’s 400 metres on August 9th in the form of a silver medal. Her strong performance in the final 100 metres was her fastest time since she won the world championship in Doha.

Only six other women have run faster than her timing of 48.53 seconds ever, making her silver medal shine like gold.

Bahrain’s winning streak continued the next day, with Gor Minasyan winning a bronze medal, securing the first-eve r medal in weightlifting for the Kingdom.

On the final day of the Olympics, Bahrain’s standing took another leap when Ahmed Tajuddin etched his name into the annals of wrestling history with a spectacular gold medal win in the men’s freestyle 97kg division.

Through its winnings, Bahrain has shown the sporting world its intent to take a lead role and spread its wings.

The Kingdom’s efforts to this end are backed by none other than HM King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, whose vision in consolidating the position of Bahrain’s sports globally is being marvellously executed under the leadership of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister.

The efforts are being spearheaded by His Highness Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, HM the King’s Representative for Humanitarian Work and Youth Affairs a n d Chairman of the Supreme Council for Youth and Sports (SCYS); and His Highness Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa, First Deputy Chairman of the SCYS, President of the General Sports Authority (GSA), and President of the Bahrain Olympic Committee (BOC).

Royal Recognition Recognizing the efforts behind the Olympic winnings, His Majesty on Sunday expressed pride in the achievements and commended the dedicated efforts of HH Shaikh Nasser and HH Shaikh Khalid that have led to remarkable accomplishments.

His Majesty lauded the distinguished achievements by Bahraini athletes at the Paris Olympics, commending their impressive performance, skills and competence.

He congratulated all the medal winners and wished them continued success in their future endeavours. Eyes on Future Setting the foundation for the future, His Majesty emphasised the importance of adopting programmes and initiatives that contribute to the development of Arab sports achievements and attaining outstanding results internationally.

His Majesty also expressed appreciation for all efforts in youth and sports sectors that elevate the nation’s standing and lead to podium finishes in various international sports.