In a remarkable sporting achievement, the Saudi Paralympic delegation continued its outstanding performance at the 5th West Asian Paralympic Games held in Muscat, Oman, bringing its total medal count to 61. This significant accomplishment followed a day of victories, with Saudi athletes adding 16 new medals (8 gold, 6 silver, and 2 bronze) in athletics, swimming, table tennis, and boccia.
Background and importance of Saudi participation
The West Asian Paralympic Games are a vital regional platform for Paralympic athletes, providing them with the opportunity to compete at a high level and gain the experience necessary to participate in major international events such as the World Paralympic Games. This successful Saudi participation reflects the significant progress being made in disability sports in the Kingdom, which aligns with the goals of Vision 2030, a vision that prioritizes empowering all segments of society and supporting athletes to achieve excellence at all levels. This increased government support, represented by the Saudi Paralympic Committee, contributes to honing talent and providing an ideal environment for preparation and competition.
The impact of the achievement on Saudi sports
This impressive medal haul not only raises the Kingdom's flag high at sporting events, but also serves as an inspiration to future generations of Saudi Paralympic athletes. This success further solidifies the Kingdom's position as a leading sporting force in West Asia and demonstrates the effectiveness of the plans and strategies implemented to develop Paralympic sports. Internationally, these results strongly indicate the ability of Saudi champions to compete at the highest level in world championships and achieve even greater accomplishments in the future.
Details of today's achievements
Athletics concludes its participation with 5 medals
The athletics team concluded its participation in the Games with five valuable medals: four gold and one silver. Hani Al-Nakhli won gold in the discus throw (F33) with a distance of 29.10 meters, while Hadeel Al-Thuwaiei secured gold in the shot put (F34) with a distance of 6.38 meters. Radhi Al-Harthi added gold in the discus throw (F51) with a distance of 9.68 meters, and Haider Salami won gold in the shot put (F57) with a distance of 13.84 meters. Naza Al-Humaidani earned the silver medal in the shot put (F56) with a distance of 5.83 meters.
My swimmer shone in the competition pool
At the start of the swimming competitions, the Saudi champions asserted their dominance, with swimmer Ibrahim Al-Marzouqi clinching two gold medals in the 50m backstroke (S5) with a time of 47.59 seconds and the 50m butterfly (S5) with a time of 43.84 seconds. His teammate, Iyad Al-Maliki, won silver in the 50m freestyle (S7) with a time of 44.04 seconds, while Abdulrahman Khalid secured bronze in the 50m backstroke (S5) with a time of 56.57 seconds.
Table tennis and peccia add to the gold medal tally
In table tennis, the national team won five medals: Ibrahim Al Hassan took gold, Rakan Al Salmi, Renad Al Rahili, and Zahraa Al Taleh each won silver, and Mariam Al Muraisel earned bronze. In boccia, Abdulaziz Al Zahrani won gold in the BC1 category, while his teammate Zahraa Al Abyad took silver in the BC2 category.
Results of team sports
In team sports, the goalball team secured its place in the semifinals after a resounding 10-0 victory over Yemen. Meanwhile, the wheelchair basketball team lost to the UAE 31-57 and will now face Iraq in the quarterfinals.
