Alkass English
Qatar Athletics enjoyed a remarkable start to the athletics competitions at the 4th GCC Games – Doha 2026, claiming a total of 14 medals on the opening day at Suhaim bin Hamad Stadium at Qatar SC.
Team Qatar secured five gold medals, four silver medals, and five bronze medals amid strong competition in both the men’s and women’s events.
The gold medals were won by Olympic and world champion Mutaz Barshim in the high jump, Zakaria Ibrahim in the 3000m steeplechase, Mabrouk Saleh in the 5000m race walk, Saif Abdulsalam in the pole vault, and Sara Ali in the women’s 100m hurdles.
Qatar’s silver medals came through veteran athlete Essa Barshim in the 5000m race walk, Hatem Hameed in the 800m race, Yasser Mubarak in the 3000m steeplechase, and Hamza Al-Suwaisi in the shot put event.
The bronze medals were claimed by Mubarak ???? in the 800m race, Dana Salem in the women’s 100m sprint, Salma Hamed in the long jump, Mariam Saleh in the women’s 800m race, and Shahad Mohammed in the women’s 100m hurdles.
One of the standout moments of the day came in the men’s high jump, where Mutaz Barshim marked his return to competition after a lengthy injury absence dating back two years. The Qatari star shared the gold medal with Oman’s Fateh bin Abdulghafour after both athletes cleared 2.16m and failed at 2.19m. Barshim chose not to proceed with a jump-off, recreating the memorable moment from the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games when he famously shared Olympic gold with Italy’s Gianmarco Tamberi.
The opening day competitions were attended by Dahlan Al Hamad, President of the Asian Athletics Association, alongside Mohammed Issa Al Fadala, President of the Qatar Athletics Federation, and several heads of participating delegations, who also took part in crowning the winners.