Nagoya [Japan], September 27: The UAE opened its medal account at the Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 as Sulaiman Abdulrahman claimed silver in the men's 400m final, clocking 44.99 seconds and finishing just 0.09 seconds behind Thailand's Joshua Atkinson, who took gold in 44.90 seconds. Emmanuel Bamidele also competed in the final, recording 45.97 seconds.
Aminat Qamardeen clocked 23.61 seconds in the women's 200m heats, while Abdul Quddus Ali recorded 21.05 seconds in the men's 200m semi-finals, having qualified from the heats in 21.07 seconds.
The men's 400m final was attended by Faris Mohammed Al Mutawa, Secretary General of the UAE Olympic Committee; Noura Al Jasmi, Member of the Board of Directors of the UAE Olympic Committee; Major General Dr Mohammed Abdullah Al Murr, Member of the Board of Directors of the UAE Olympic Committee and President of the UAE Athletics Federation; and Jamila Abdulrahman, Member of the Board of Directors of the UAE Athletics Federation. They followed the race and supported the UAE athletes throughout the competition.
Major General Dr Mohammed Abdullah Al Murr extended his highest congratulations to the UAE leadership and people on the nation's first medal at the Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026, after national team athlete Sulaiman Abdulrahman claimed silver in the men's 400m following an outstanding performance and a fiercely contested race that went down to the final metres.
Major General Dr Mohammed Abdullah Al Murr also congratulated H.H. Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, President of the UAE Olympic Committee, and Sheikh Rashid bin Humaid Al Nuaimi, Vice President of the UAE Olympic Committee, commending the support and attention extended to UAE sport and the national teams, which provide further motivation to pursue even greater achievements for the UAE.
Major General Dr Mohammed Al Murr said, "We are delighted that athletics has opened the UAE's medal account at the Games. For us, this silver feels like gold, given the high standard of the race and the extremely narrow margin to first place. Sulaiman delivered an outstanding performance that reflects how we want UAE athletics to be represented on the continental and international stages."
He added, "This achievement carries even greater significance because Sulaiman is still an under-20 athlete. Earlier this year, he won gold in the 400m at the Asian U20 Athletics Championships in Hong Kong, clocking 44.85 seconds to set a championship record and become the first athlete in the history of the championships to break the 45-second barrier."
Al Murr stressed that the results achieved by the UAE's young athletes reinforce confidence in the future of UAE athletics. He said: "We believe that investing in young talent is the way to build a generation capable of competing for medals at continental and international level. What we are seeing today is the result of sustained work and continued investment in athletics. We will continue to build on these results in the next phase as we pursue greater ambitions and strive to raise the UAE flag on the podium."
The UAE Athletics Federation President concluded: "We dedicate this achievement to the UAE, its leadership and its people. We congratulate Sulaiman, the technical and administrative teams, and everyone who contributed to this achievement. We still have important events ahead, and we have great confidence in all our national team athletes. We look forward to tomorrow's competitions with optimism and hope that even greater achievements lie ahead for UAE athletics."
In equestrian, Ali Khalfan Al Jahouri and Bianca Schützqualified for the individual dressage final at the Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 after finishing among the top 15 combinations across the two qualifying rounds.
Al Jahouri, riding Lotus-S, scored 65.706% in the second qualifier to take his aggregate score to 132.736, while Schütz and Le Grand Ayden HB recorded 66.059% for an aggregate of 132.706.
Mohamed Jassim Al Serkal and Zen Liquidity recorded 63.470%, taking their aggregate score to 127.235, while Natalie Lankester and Tesla DXB scored 61.824% for an aggregate of 122.648.
Al Jahouri and Schütz will contest the individual dressage freestyle to music final, becoming the first two UAE riders to qualify together for the individual freestyle final at a single edition of the Asian Games.
In archery, UAE athletes competed across the individual, team and mixed team events. Khalifa Al Kaabi scored 643 points in the men's individual recurve qualification, while Aisha Al Ali recorded 624 points, Hessa Al Awadhi 600 and Huda Al Ali 539 in the women's individual recurve.
In the women's recurve team event, the UAE trio of Aisha Al Ali, Hessa Al Awadhi and Huda Al Ali combined for 1,763 points.
In the women's compound, Amna Al Awadhi scored 691 points, Jumana Al Najjar 675 and Maitha Al Nuaimi 626, giving the UAE team a combined total of 1,992 points.
In the men's compound, Abdullah Al Mansoori recorded 668 points, Sultan Al Menhali 665 and Yousuf Al Hosani 645, as the UAE team finished with a combined total of 1,978 points.
In the mixed team events, the compound pairing of Amna Al Awadhi and Abdullah Al Mansoori combined for 1,359 points, while the recurve pairing of Khalifa Al Kaabi and Aisha Al Ali recorded 1,267 points.
Faris Mohammed Al Mutawa, Secretary-General of the UAE Olympic Committee; Dr Nasser Al Tamimi, Member of the Board of Directors of the UAE Olympic Committee; Abdulmohsen Fahad Al Dossari, Member of the Board of Directors of the UAE Football Association; and Mohammed bin Darwish, Executive Director of the UAE Olympic Committee, attended the UAE dressage team's events at the Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026.
During the visit, the delegation followed the UAE riders in action and reviewed their preparations, while also meeting with members of the national team and the technical and administrative staff to ensure that all aspects of the team's participation were progressing smoothly.
The delegation also visited the UAE show jumping team's training camp, where it reviewed preparations and the training programme for the riders and horses ahead of the start of competition. The delegation reaffirmed its support for the UAE riders and wished them success in their upcoming events at the Games.
In the medal standings, China extended its lead with 173 medals, including 106 gold, 40 silver and 27 bronze. Japan followed with 125 medals - 31 gold, 47 silver and 47 bronze - with South Korea third on 72 medals, comprising 15 gold, 21 silver and 36 bronze.
Among Arab nations, Bahrain remained in the lead with nine medals - five gold, two silver and two bronze - followed by Qatar with two gold, two silver and one bronze; Kuwait with two gold, one silver and two bronze; Jordan with one gold, one silver and one bronze; and Saudi Arabia with two silver and four bronze. The UAE opened its medal account at the Games through Sulaiman Abdulrahman's silver in the men's 400m.
In shooting, Sheikh Mohammed bin Dalmook Al Maktoum and Yahya Suhail Al Muhairi begin the opening day of men's trap qualification, while Mariam Karim will contest the women's 400m hurdles qualifying round in athletics.
The UAE men's epee team of Khalifa Al Zarooni, Hamdan Al Jahdhami, Mohammed Al Mazmi and Saleh Al Baloushi will compete in the fencing team event.
In equestrian, Ali Khalfan Al Jahouri and Bianca Schützwill contest the individual dressage freestyle final after qualifying among the top 15 combinations across the two qualifying rounds, while Abdullah Al Zubaidi and Marwa Al Hammadi will compete in the ILCA 4 class in sailing.
The UAE men's compound archery team of Abdullah Al Mansoori, Yousuf Al Hosani and Sultan Al Menhali will face India in the round of 16, while the women's team of Jumana Al Najjar, Maitha Al Nuaimi and Amna Al Awadhi will take on South Korea at the same stage.
Amna Al Awadhi and Abdullah Al Mansoori will face China in the compound mixed team round of 16, while Khalifa Al Kaabi and Aisha Al Ali will compete in the recurve mixed team event.
Source: Emirates News Agency
