Kuwait City, Kuwait, May 19, 2022: Bahrain’s electric men’s 4x400m relay team fittingly brought the curtain down on the athletics programme at the 3rd GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) Games Kuwait 2022 by winning gold on Wednesday night, May 18.
It was the 17th gold medal for Bahrain at the Ahmed Al Rashdan Track & Field stadium, underlining the domination of the Kingdom in athletics over the rest of the region.
“It has been a bountiful harvest,” President of Bahrain Athletics Association Mohammed bin Abdul Latif bin Jalal summed up in an interview with Bahrain media. “It is fantastic to be crowned as the champions of track and field.”
At the end of a jam-packed three days of athletic competition, Bahrain raced to the top of the overall medal standings with a haul of 39 medals including 17 gold medals, 14 silver and eight bronze medals.
All, barring two silver medals and two bronzes, were won in athletics.
Even a heavy sandstorm on the opening day of the competition, May 16, hardly put a brake on the Bahrain juggernaut as they finished with seven gold medals. On the second day, they claimed four more – it could have been five, if not for women’s triple jumper Fatima Mubarak, being disqualified of her gold for arriving late – and then wrapped it all up on the last day with six more golds.
Men’s quartet Husain Al-Doseri, Abbas Ali, Musa Isah and Ali Khamis gave Bahrain the perfect swansong on the track and field at the Games by winning the 4x400m relay in three minutes 06.20 seconds.
Bahrain’s gold rush on the last night of action started with Winfred Yavi winning the gold in the women’s 1,500m final with compatriot Tigest Mekonen taking the silver. It was another 1-2 for Bahrain in the following race, the women’s 5,000m with Bontu Rebitu and Tigist Belay winning gold and silver respectively.
The national anthem of Bahrain was heard for a third time in succession at the medal ceremony for the women’s 4x400m relay with the Bahrain foursome registering a smashing victory over the United Arab Emirates – the margin of victory was 32 seconds – and Kuwait.
Gold medals in the men’s 200m (Yaqoob Yaqoob) and men’s 5,000m (Albert Rop) followed leaving the men’s 4x400m relay team to deliver the coup de grace.
Hurdler Aminat Jamal, middle-distance runner Winfred Yavi and long-distance expert Bontu Rebitu each won two individual gold medals in the women’s competitions. In the men’s event, Albert Rop dominated the 5000m and 10000m races.
“We are very happy with the outcome,” added a satisfied President of Bahrain Athletics Association.
Bahrain's Gold Medals in Athletics at 3rd GCC Games
Women
1. Shot Put – Noora Jasim, 14.11 metres
2. 100m Hurdles – Aminat Jamal, 13.68
3. Long Jump – Fatima Mubarak, 5.84
4. 10000m – Bontu Rebitu, 34:26.27
5. 400m – Muna Mubarak, 52.80
6. 400m Hurdles – Aminat Jamal, 58.55
7. 800m – Tigest Mekonen, 2:11.25
8. 3000m Steeplechase – Winfred Yavi, 9:23.11
9. 1500m – Winfred Yavi, 4:07.24
10. 5000m – Bontu Rebitu, 15:51.04
11. 4x400m Relay – Bahrain, 3:48.00
Men
12. Men’s Shot Put – Abdulrahman Mahmoud, 20.74m
13. Men’s 10,000m – Albert Rop, 29:15.97
14. 3000m Steeplechase - John Keoch, 8:46.96
15. 200m – Yaqoob Yaqoob, 20.91
16. 5000m – Albert Rop, 13:44.70
17. 400m Relay – Bahrain, 3:06.20
