From Djamel Sedjati to Mutaz Barshim: 5 Arab men to watch at the Paris Olympics
- Podium places possible in athletics, gymnastics, surfing, handball
- Gold likely for Djamel Sedjati, Mutaz Barshim, Ahmad Abu Al-Soud
There is a lot to look forward to when it comes to Arab athletes at the upcoming Paris Olympics.
A total of 14 medals were won by Arab men in Tokyo 2020 and there is potential for more this time around.
Here are five Arab men to look out for in Paris 2024.
Djamel Sedjati (Algeria) – Athletics
Algeria’s Djamel Sedjati heads to Paris in red-hot form, not only chasing gold but adamant on breaking David Rudisha’s 12-year-old world record in the 800 meters.
Within the last three weeks, the 25-year-old Sedjati ran the third- and fourth-fastest 800 meters of all time, going 1 minute, 41.56 seconds in the Diamond League stop in Paris, and then lowering his personal best to 1:41.46 five days later in Monaco.
Rudisha set the world record of 1:40.91 in London 2012 and Sedjati has every intention of emulating the Kenyan at this Olympics.
“I would like to thank everyone, especially my family and my coach. It’s the fourth time I run a world lead and the second time an Algerian record. I have worked really hard for that,” said Sedjati in Monaco recently.
“Now I am thinking of the world record, I hope to run it at the Olympic Games. I have two more weeks to prepare it. I will focus on that and put in the necessary work so that I can achieve my goal.
“I will keep the preparation the same. My mindset is that the hard work I have put in will pay off.”
Sedjati’s performance in Monaco saw him set a new national record, world lead, Diamond League record, meet record, and personal best.
Will he do even better in Paris?
The men’s 800-meter heats begin on Aug. 7, with the semifinals and finals on Aug. 9 and 10.
Ahmad Abu Al-Soud (Jordan) – Gymnastics
In Liverpool in 2022, Jordan’s Ahmad Abu Al-Soud clinched the silver medal in pommel horse to become the first Arab to make the podium at a World Championships.
Despite a lower-back injury slowing his momentum, he claimed another World Championship medal the following year, this time bronze.
He then went on to dominate the 2024 World Cup series (winning gold in three of the four) to punch his ticket to Paris and become the first Jordanian gymnast to qualify for the Olympics.
The 29-year-old Abu Al-Soud, who has a skill named after him in the FIG Code of Points, heads to Paris ranked No. 1 in the world for pommel horse and is a favorite for gold at the Olympics.
Men’s qualification in artistic gymnastics begins on July 27 at Bercy Arena, with the pommel horse final scheduled for Aug. 3.
Ramzi Boukhiam (Morocco) – Surfing
The first Moroccan or Arab surfer to qualify for the World Surf League’s Championship Tour, Ramzi Boukhiam is heading to his second Olympics, having competed in Tokyo 2020, when surfing made its debut.
The surfing competition of the 2024 Olympics will be staged in Tahiti, where 24 men and 24 women will take on the majestic and equally terrifying Teahupo’o Wave.
Boukhiam placed ninth on his Olympic debut in Tokyo but Teahupo’o is far better suited to his surfing style. And the 30-year-old can draw confidence from the fact he placed third at the very same spot, on the Championship Tour at the Tahiti Pro just two months ago.
“I have my second chance now, going to Tahiti, on a wave like Teahupo’o, it’s the most dangerous but the most perfect wave on the planet,” Boukhiam, who was Morocco’s flagbearer in Tokyo 2020, recently said on the podcast Abtal.
“As a surfer, it doesn’t get much better than that. You’re scared but super excited at the same time and I feel like if we could get good waves, it can be actually an amazing, amazing event.”
Boukhiam secured his place in the 2024 Olympics by clinching the silver medal at the ISA World Surfing Games in Puerto Rico in March.
The surfing competition at the Olympics kicks off in Tahiti on July 27 with action continuing through July 31.
Mutaz Barshim (Qatar) – Athletics
Qatar’s Mutaz Barshim won bronze in London (which got upgraded to silver nine years later), silver in Rio, and gold in Tokyo.
Barshim has been raising the bar higher and higher with each Olympic Games and the star high jumper is now ready to take the leap one last time.
“I feel like I’ve been here for quite some time, I’ve done everything, seen everything and I feel like at this point it would be selfish for me to take more time away from my family and loved ones,” the 33-year-old Barshim told FloTrack this week after announcing Paris would be his last Games.
“I want to be there for my family also. Everyone has been there for me all my career. I’ve been jumping professionally since 2011, so it’s a long time and I’m really glad and happy about everything that we accomplished together but I feel like it’s time now to give back. It’s time to give myself back to my family.”
Barshim provided one of the most iconic moments of the Tokyo Olympics when he and his Italian rival and friend Gianmarco Tamberi decided to share the gold medal instead of going through a jump-off to break their tie.
They had both overcome career-threatening injuries in the build-up to Tokyo and felt they both deserved to top the podium.
Barshim and Tamberi have said there would be no sharing if they find themselves in the same situation in Paris.
The men’s high jump qualification at the Paris Olympics will take place on Aug. 7 at Stade de France, with the final scheduled for Aug. 10.
Yahia Omar (Egypt) – Handball
He is going to be a Parisian for the next three years but before making his debut for new club Paris Saint-Germain, Yahia Omar will be looking to help Egypt secure their first handball medal at the Olympics.
The Egyptians came agonizingly close to making the podium in Tokyo 2020, finishing fourth after losing to Spain in the bronze-medal match. It was the first time an African team had made it that far in handball at the Olympics.
The 26-year-old right back was a key part of that Olympics squad, which earned him Tokyo 2020 All-star team honors — the first non-European since 1992 to achieve that feat.
Egypt have a daunting road ahead in Paris as they landed in the same group alongside hosts and defending champions France, reigning world champions Denmark, Norway, Hungary and Argentina.
“It’s the Olympics. There’s nothing easy. I think we have the harder group, but I think it gives us a better possibility to be in the semifinals,” said Omar when the draw was revealed.
The Pharaohs commence their campaign against Hungary on July 27.
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