Paris, July 30 (BNA): Amani Al Obaidli, an 18-year-old swimmer from Bahrain born in 2006, made an impressive debut in her first Olympic Games when she competed in the women’s 100-meter backstroke qualifying event on the third day of the Olympics, which runs until August 11 in Paris.
Amani Al Obaidli placed sixth in the women’s 100m backstroke heats, setting a new Bahrain record and a personal best time of 1 minute 4.27 seconds.
Although Amani Al Obaidulli ended his Olympic journey without qualifying for the second stage, his stellar performances earned him widespread respect, as he emerged as a promising young Bahraini champion with numerous medal wins at Arab level and a strong presence at the GCC Swimming Championships.
His Highness Sheikh Isa bin Ali Al Khalifa, Vice Chairman of the Bahrain Olympic Committee (BOC) and Head of the Kingdom’s Delegation to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, attended the swimming events in Paris. He was accompanied by Secretary General Faris Mustafa Al Kooheji and several members of the official and administrative delegations.
Meanwhile, national swimming team member Saud Salah Ghali will compete in the men’s 200m backstroke qualifying event at the Paris Olympics at 12:45pm (1:45pm Bahrain time) at the La Villette Arena in Paris.
Saud Salah Ghali, who is in Hungary on a study and sports scholarship as part of the Olympic Committee’s Champions Development Programme, is aiming to set a new personal best in the 200m backstroke after competing at the FINA World Championships in Qatar a few months ago, where he finished in 2 minutes 21.94 seconds.
Since his international debut in 2016, Saud Salah Ghali has won numerous medals at the GCC level, including a bronze medal at the 13th GCC Short Course Championships held in Doha in 2016, a bronze medal at the GCC Swimming Championships held in Dammam in 2016, a bronze medal at the 14th GCC Short Course Championships held in Doha in 2017 and a gold medal at the 27th GCC Swimming Championships held in Kuwait in 2019.
At the Arab level, Saud Salah Ghali won a gold medal at the Arab Junior Championships held in Morocco in 2019, two gold medals and one silver medal at the 1st Arab Short Course Championships held in Abu Dhabi in 2021, and two silver medals at the 1st Arab Junior Swimming Championships held in Egypt in 2022.
Considering Saud Salah Ghali’s potential and his professional experience at the Hungarian University, the Bahrain Swimming Association hopes that he will become a champion at continental and international level in the future.
Bahraini judoist Askerby Gerbekov, making his Olympic debut, will be hoping to perform well in the round of 32 under-81kg competition, which gets underway at 10:28 a.m. (11:28 a.m. Bahrain time) on Tuesday.
Gerbekov prepared for the Olympics in an exciting atmosphere through two training camps held in Spain and Sochi, Russia.
Askerbi’s Olympic preparation programme is overseen by Khalid Nabil Al Arifi, Bahrain Judo Federation Technical Director and National Coach.
Gerbekov has a distinguished judo resume with many recent accomplishments and is well-qualified to compete effectively if the draw and circumstances are favorable.
The tournament’s knockout format means a win would see Gerbekov advance to the last 16 and continue his journey in the tournament, while a loss would mean early elimination.
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