Alkass English
Qatar won five medals — three golds and two silvers — on the opening day of the swimming competitions at the 4th Gulf Games Doha 2026.
Qatar claimed gold in the 800m freestyle through swimmer Saad Al-Din Sami Saad Al-Din, who set a new Gulf record with a time of 7:57.54. Bahrain took silver, while Kuwait won bronze.
Qatar also secured gold in the 200m individual medley through swimmer Mohamed Mahmoud, who set another Gulf record with a time of 2:03.02. Bahrain earned silver and Kuwait bronze.
In the 200m butterfly, Qatar won another gold thanks to swimmer Emil Fawzi, who broke the Gulf record with a time of 2:02.20. Saudi Arabia took silver, while Kuwait claimed bronze.
Qatar earned a silver medal in the 50m freestyle through swimmer Ali Tamer, who finished second with a time of 22.64 seconds. Saudi Arabia won gold and Bahrain bronze.
Qatar also claimed silver in the 100m backstroke through swimmer Abdullah Al-Ghamdi, who finished with a time of 58.32 seconds. Saudi Arabia won both gold and bronze in the event.
Mubarak Ali Al Nuaimi, President of the Qatar Swimming Association, praised the achievement of winning three golds and two silvers on the first day of competition.
He said: “We are happy with this outstanding start for Qatari swimming, which reflects the great work done in preparation for these Gulf Games and our ambition to perform honorably.”
He added: “We hope the achievements continue in the coming days and that Qatari swimming wins even more medals.”
The swimming competitions will continue tomorrow, starting with the 400m freestyle, followed by the 50m breaststroke, 100m freestyle, 200m backstroke, and concluding with the men’s 400m freestyle relay.