Bahrain Off to Flying Start at GCC Games

TDT | Manama

Email : hussainm@newsofbahrain.com

Bahrain made a strong start to the 4th GCC Games in Doha yesterday, sitting third on the medal table with 2 gold, 3 silver, and 1 bronze medal, just behind Saudi Arabia and hosts Qatar.

Taekwondo led Bahrain’s medal success, producing two golds and a silver. Muath Ibrahim claimed gold in the men’s -58kg category after a strong run, including a 2–1 semifinal win over Oman’s Nibras Al Tooqi before sealing the title. “Hopefully this medal win will be a source of motivation for the rest of Bahrain’s delegation,” he said.

In the women’s -49kg category, Fatema Kalawadh secured gold with a 2–0 win over Oman’s Umaima Al Hinai, marking a standout moment for Bahraini women’s taekwondo. She reflected, “Anyone who works hard and trains extensively will ultimately leave with their head held high. When I won, I let out a scream that reflected the sacrifices I made in my personal life to fully commit myself to this journey.”

Bahrain’s third taekwondo medal came through Abdulla Alheddi, who earned silver in the men’s -80kg division. He recorded wins over UAE’s Abdulla Ghloum and Qatar’s Mohammad Shalan before falling 2–0 to Saudi Arabia’s Tareg Hamedi in the final.

In 3x3 basketball, Bahrain’s women delivered a flawless group-stage performance, defeating the UAE 18–9 and Saudi Arabia 17–12 to top their group. Aya Murtadha led scoring, while Bayan Salman contributed crucial free throws in key moments.

The men opened with a 16–13 win over Saudi Arabia and followed with a dominant 21–10 victory over Kuwait before falling 21–15 to Qatar in a tightly contested match, where early two-point shooting gave the hosts control. Bahrain responded through perimeter shooting from Bogdan Dragovic and Mohammed Buallay, with Austin Ajukwa adding points from the line.

In swimming at the Hamad Aquatics Centre, Bahrain added three more medals. Robert Bonsall took silver in the 800m freestyle with a time of 8:14.21, finishing behind Qatar’s Saadeddin Saadeddin (7:57.54). Saud Ghali earned silver in the 200m individual medley in 2:09.77, while Mikhail Arkhangelsky claimed bronze in the 50m freestyle in 22.85 seconds.

In billiards at the Qatar Billiards & Snooker Federation Hall, Hussain Maroom recorded one win but suffered two defeats in the men’s 10-ball singles qualifiers, while his brother Haider Maroom lost both matches.

At the Aspire Dome, Bahrain impressed against Qatar in table tennis, with Sayed Murtadha Hussain edging Abdullah Wahab 3–2 and Rashid Sanad securing a 3–1 win over Mohammed Abdulwahab.

Bahrain now turn to a packed schedule today across multiple sports. Table tennis reaches the quarter-finals, fencing begins, and billiards continues with 10-ball doubles. In taekwondo, the men’s under-68kg category gets underway.

In 3x3 basketball, Bahrain’s men face the UAE at 3:50pm, while the women meet Kuwait in the semi-finals at 4:40pm, with a potential men’s semi-final at 5:05pm. Boxing semifinals feature Omar Ismail (60kg, 5:30pm), Ali Omar (75kg, 6PM), and Rasheed Waheed (80kg, 6:30pm), alongside continued swimming action and the start of equestrian events.