Medal rush for Saudi Arabia as Islamic Solidarity Games head to closing ceremony
Medal rush for Saudi Arabia as Islamic Solidarity Games head to closing ceremony
Nawaz Gohar from Riyadh ; Saudi Arabia asserted its dominance across multiple disciplines on Thursday at the 6th Islamic Solidarity Games (Riyadh 2025), highlighted by a sweeping triumph in camel racing as His Highness Prince Fahad bin Jalawi, Chairman of the Supreme Organising Committee, awarded gold medals to the champions at the Al Janadriyah Camel Racing Arena.
The hosts shone brightly with Ahmed Aljohni winning the men’s 2km race and Kholoud Alshammari striking gold in the women’s event before doubling her tally by capturing the 8km title, where Suleiman Aljohni also secured gold in the men’s category to further strengthen Saudi Arabia’s medal surge.
The final day of Athletics delivered gripping contests as Türkiye and Bahrain emerged as the standout nations, each clinching two gold medals. Among the notable performances were Saudi Para athlete Jamaan Alzahrani’s gold in the T53/54 100m, Iran’s Ali Amirian capturing the 800m crown, and Kuwait’s Yaqoub Alyouha dominating the 110m hurdles.
Türkiye’s Omer Sahin won the discus throw, Djibouti’s Mohamed Ismail triumphed in the 5000m, Uzbekistan’s Anvar Anvarov soared to long jump gold, and Nigeria powered to victory in the mixed 4x400m relay. Women’s events saw Iran’s Fatemeh Mohitizadeh, Türkiye’s Emel Dereli, and Bahrain’s Nelly Korir underline their excellence, while Bahrain also celebrated a 1–2 finish in the 200m through Edidiong Odiong and Salwa Naser.
At Prince Faisal bin Fahad Sports City, Saudi Jiu-Jitsu stars Omar and Abdullah Nada led a golden sweep for the Kingdom, clinching titles in the -94kg and -85kg divisions, respectively, while Kazakhstan, UAE, Iran, and Kyrgyzstan shared the remaining podium spots across both men’s and women’s weight classes.
Wrestling belonged to Kyrgyzstan, who dominated the mats with multiple titles, including Abdumalik Karachov’s victory in the men’s -57kg and Olympic medallist Meerim Zhumanazharova’s gold in the women’s -68kg, supported by additional podium finishes for athletes from Iran, Azerbaijan, Nigeria, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan.
In handball, Qatar edged the UAE 16–15 to earn bronze in the men’s competition, while IR Iran secured bronze in the women’s event with a 29–25 win over Uzbekistan. The Games will reach a glittering conclusion on Friday after more than 17 days of competition featuring 3,000 athletes representing 57 nations across 23 sports in five venues.
The Closing Ceremony, set to take place at Princess Nourah University, also home to the Athletes’ Village, will present a rich cultural showcase and the symbolic handover of the ISG flag to Malaysia, host of the 2029 edition.
