Saudi Arabia, Bahrain reach handball final as relay team grabs gold at Riyadh 2025
Saudi Arabia, Bahrain reach handball final as relay team grabs gold at Riyadh 2025
Nawaz Gohar from Riyadh ; Saudi Arabia and Bahrain marched into the Men’s Handball final of the 6th Islamic Solidarity Games – Riyadh 2025 after strong semifinal performances at the Prince Faisal bin Fahad Olympic Complex. The hosts sealed a convincing 29–15 win over the UAE, while Bahrain edged past Qatar in a nail-biting 31–30 thriller to complete the title matchup.
In the women’s event, Türkiye booked a place in the final after overpowering Uzbekistan 39–22. Kazakhstan joined them with a well-earned 29–26 victory over IR Iran. Both handball bronze medal matches will be contested on Thursday, while the gold medal encounters are scheduled for Friday.
The Saudi men’s 4x100m relay team electrified the track with a gold-medal run, clocking 39.19 seconds—just enough to hold off Oman, who captured silver with 39.21, and Nigeria who secured bronze in 39.51.
Saudi Arabia’s Paralympic star Ali Alnakhli added another gold to the host nation’s tally in the Men’s 100m T37, beating Algeria’s Sofiane Hamdi (silver) and Egypt’s Mostafa Mohamed (bronze).
Cameroon enjoyed success in the Men’s 200m, where Eseme Alobwede clinched gold, followed by Saudi Arabia’s Abdulaziz Atafi with silver, and Cameroon’s Itoungue Claude with bronze. Morocco’s Anass Essayi dominated the Men’s 1500m, finishing ahead of Türkiye’s Mehmet Celik and Algeria’s Chott Anis.
Morocco continued its strong showing as Rachid M’hamdi secured gold in the Men’s 400m, with UAE’s Emmanuel Bamidele taking silver and Nigeria’s Gafari Badmus earning bronze.
Pakistan celebrated a memorable 1–2 finish in the Men’s Javelin Throw, with Arshad Nadeem winning gold and Muhammad Yasir claiming silver. Nigeria’s Samuel Kure finished with bronze. Nigeria struck back in the women’s sprints, taking gold in the Women’s 4x100m relay, with Bahrain securing silver and The Gambia clinching bronze.
Türkiye’s Demet Parlak won the Women’s Pole Vault title, ahead of countrywoman Buse Arikazan (silver) and IR Iran’s Mahsa Mirzatabibi (bronze). Bahrain’s Salwa Naser dominated the Women’s 400m, beating Nigeria’s Patience George and Uganda’s Leni Shida.
Bahrain’s Nelly Korir captured Women’s 800m gold, finishing ahead of Uganda’s Halima Nakaayi and Morocco’s Soukaina Hajji.
Egypt’s Esraa Owis was crowned Women’s Long Jump champion, Burkina Faso’s Nemata Nikiema won silver, and Togo’s Fayza Abdoukerim claimed bronze. Türkiye’s Cansu Sayin topped the Women’s 100m Hurdles, with Uzbekistan’s Lidiya Podsepkina and Togo’s Naomi Akakpo completing the podium.
Wrestling witnessed a wide distribution of medals, with IR Iran, Uzbekistan, Nigeria, Azerbaijan, and Egypt all securing gold at Boulevard Riyadh City. IR Iran’s Fardin Hedayati won the Men’s Greco-Roman 130kg title, with Egypt’s Abdellatif Mohamed claiming silver and Türkiye’s Fatih Bozkurt taking bronze. Another gold for Iran came through Mohammadhadi Saravi in the 97kg category.
Uzbekistan’s Aktenge Keunimjaeva captured Women’s Freestyle 50kg gold, while Nigeria’s Christianah Ogunsanya triumphed in the Women’s 53kg category. Azerbaijan dominated the Women’s 57kg event with Zhala Aliyeva winning gold.
Egypt clinched the Men’s 3×3 Basketball gold after a commanding 21–14 victory over IR Iran. Qatar secured bronze with a tight 17–15 win against Bahrain. In Women’s 3×3, Azerbaijan overpowered Türkiye 21–13 to claim gold, while Egypt defeated IR Iran 21–16 to earn bronze.
Tunisia’s Fares Ferjani captured the Men’s Sabre crown, defeating Türkiye’s Furkan Yaman, while bronze medals went to Tunisia’s Ahmed Ferjani and Uzbekistan’s Zukhriddin Kodirov. In Women’s Foil, Türkiye’s Alara Atmaca secured gold, Kazakhstan’s Sofiya Aktayeva won silver, and the bronze medals were shared by Oman’s Israa Siyabi and Tunisia’s Yasmine Soussi.
