Big wins: All the Arab medal winners at the Paris Olympics 2024

Bringing it home…

The Arab World has brought home 17 medals in total, including a total of seven golds, from this year’s Olympics Games held in Paris. This is no small feat, considering the controversy and the shadow of war and terror on the region as the games took place. Statements were made, messages were sent and a clear of display of power and autonomy was shown from many, from the swimmers of Palestine to the fighters of Tunisia. Here are all the names of the Arab medal winners – say them loud and proud.

Bahrain

Bahrain brought home the most number of medals from the pool of seven Arab countries that excelled. Winfred Yavi clinched gold in the women’s 3000m steeplechase race, while wrestler Akhmed Tazhudinov came out on top in men’s freestyle wrestling in the 97kg category.

Salwa Eid Naser won silver in the women’s 400m sprint and Gor Minasyan bagged bronze in the men’s 102kg weightlifting.

Qatar

Legendary high jumper Mutaz Essa Barshim showed up to the Olympics in style and proved his worth, bagging the bronze in the men’s high jump. A former three-time World Champion, multiple Olympic medalist and former Olympic champion, having bagged the big gold in the Tokyo Games of 2020, Mutaz comes out as one of the world’s best.

Egypt

The Egyptian contingent put in the hours, bringing home three medals. Ahmed ElGendy bagged the gold in the men’s individual modern pentathlon and no less, set a world record with 1,555 points in modern pentathlon.  In a win for girl power and free choice, hijabi weightlifter Sara Ahmed took silver in the women’s 81kg weightlifting and Mohamed ElSayed placed third with brozne in the men’s épée individual fencing.

Tunisia

Tied with Egypt for the number of medals, Tunisia made a name of themselves as well. The Tunisian fighters came out on top, with Firas Katoussi clinching the very first gold for Tunisia in the men’s 80kg taekwondo and Mohamed Khalil Jendoubi bagging bronze in the men’s 58kg taekwondo. Fares Ferjani won silver in the men’s sabre individual fencing.

Morocco

The Moroccan football team won hearts and minds all over the world in the recent World Cup stint, coming out of the shadows and surprising everyone as one of the most formidable underdog teams in the tournament. They came as far as the semi-finals, beating teams of major might like Spain, Portugal, Croatia and more. In the Olympics, the team bagged the bronze, proving their prowess once again.

In a historic win, Soufiane El Bakkali took home the gold in the men’s 3000m steeplechase, retaining his title from the Tokyo Games and cementing his position as a consistent great of the discipline.

Jordan

Zaid Kareem bagged silver in the men’s 68kg taekwondo. Aside from the extremely impressive medal, Zaid is also the first Jordanian to top the world taekwondo rankings.

Algeria

The Algerian athletes were embroiled in controversy this season, the most talked-about being boxer Imane Khelif, who faced widespread backlash and online harassment after word of a failed eligibility test in a previous tournament started swirling post her 46-second bout against Angela Carini of Italy.

The boxer was backed by the International Olympic Committee and despite the setbacks, she clinched a historic gold in the women’s 66kg boxing. On the parallel, France-born Algerian gymnast Kaylia Nemour took home the gold in the women’s uneven bars – a moment made all the more special given her turbulent relationship with the French gymnastics federation, leading her to switch from the French flag to the Algerian.

Djamel Sedjati took home the bronze in the men’s 800m race.

@olympics

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