Today's Edition
Emirati athletes continue to rule roost at the inaugural Gulf Youth Games under the theme "Our Gulf is One... Our Youth is Promising". The medal tally for the hosts is 144 medals as they stand as leaders over the neighbouring rivals from the Gulf Cooperation Council in the competition, also known as UAE 2024.
Outstanding performances from disciplines such as athletics, chess, and badminton saw the country bag 26 medals for the day. The overall break-up for UAE reads 48 gold, 55 silver and 41 bronze.
Saudi Arabia maintained their second position with 54 medals (25 gold, 16 silver, and 12 bronze), while Kuwait followed closely in third with 57 medals (14 gold, 21 silver, and 22 bronze). Oman stayed on fourth stop with 31 medals (14 gold, 6 silver, and 11 bronze). Bahrain are on fifth place with 30 medals (9 gold, 8 silver, and 13 bronze), while Qatar hold sixth place with 18 medals (8 gold, 5 silver, and 5 bronze).
On the fifth day of the competition which runs until May 2, the national athletics team shone brightly, clinching 12 colourful medals to finish with an overall 36 medals – 12 gold, 13 silver, and 11 bronze – at the Dubai Police Officers Club.
Simultaneously, the national chess team showcased their dominance in the individual rapid tournament at the Sharjah Chess and Cultural Club for a total tally to 14 medals: seven gold, two silver, and three bronze.
Additionally, the shuttlers displayed remarkable prowess on the second day of badminton, securing six colorful medals – one gold, two silver, and three bronze.
Monday's schedule is packed with four thrilling competitions. First up is the highly anticipated final round of football matches, with the 'The Whites ' team facing off against Kuwait, and the Oman taking on Bahrain at Al Nahyan Stadium in Abu Dhabi. Meanwhile, in Dubai, the third round of volleyball competitions will be underway. In Sharjah, the chess competitions will continue, while in Fujairah, the badminton competition will culminate with its last day of matches.
Among the chess players, in the under-18 male category, Saud Jaber Al Zarouni clinched the gold medal with six points after a tie-breaker with his compatriot Abdul Rahman Al Taher. Bahrain's Marwan Al Binali secured the bronze with five points.
In the under-18 women's chess category, the formidable Rawda Al Serkal lived up to her reputation to take the gold with seven points. Fatima Saif Al Ali and Ahlam Rashid followed in a clean sweep for the UAE.
In the under-14 category, Anoud Issa of the UAE (five points) took the gold with Qatar's Layan Al Qasabi in second place and UAE's Shamma Al Suwaidi (four points) completing the podium.
Qatar's Hamad Al Kuwari won the gold medal in the under-18 category with 5.5 points, his teammate Hamad Al Janahi came in second place with the same score, and UAE's Mohammed Yousef Al Ali won the bronze medal with five points.
Salma Al Marri, a 15-year-old member of the junior athletics team, showcased her talent in remarkable fashion by clinching a gold medal in the discus throw and a silver medal in the shot put.
She had only begun her sports journey two months prior to this competition. Salma attributed her success to her mother, who encouraged her to pursue athletics and actively supported her throughout training camps and competitions. She will one to watch out for with a bright future.
In the first round of handball competition held at the Al Bataeh Cultural and Sports Club, the UAE lost to Oman narrowly in a 26-30 defeat. In another close contest, Saudi Arabia beat Bahrain 32-29 while Kuwait trumped Qatar 27-20.
The UAE volleyball team tasted success, though, when they kicked off their campaign in a strong 3-0 victory (25-15, 25-23, 25-16) over Oman at Al Nasr club in Dubai. Bahrain had a similar 3-0 result against Kuwait.
