Staff Reporter
Doha: Qatar made a sensational start to the swimming competitions at the fourth GCC Games Doha 2026 after securing five medals, including three gold and two silver, on the opening day of action.
The multi-sport event, which runs until May 22, features nearly 1,400 athletes representing GCC nations across 17 sports.
The host nation’s first gold medal came through Saad Al Din Saad Al Din, who delivered an outstanding performance in the men’s 800m freestyle, clocking a new Games record of 7:57.54 minutes. Robert Ponsal of Bahrain claimed silver, while Kuwait’s Saud Al Shamroukh took bronze.
The medal ceremony was attended by Second Vice President of the Qatar Olympic Committee Dr. Thani bin Abdulrahman Al Kuwari.
Qatar’s dominance in the pool continued as Mohamed Mahmoud captured gold in the 200m individual medley after producing another record-breaking swim in 2:03.02 minutes. Bahrain’s Saud Ghali finished second, while Kuwait’s Khaled Al Otaibi secured bronze.
The winners were crowned by Secretary-General of the Qatar Olympic Committee Jassim Bin Rashid Al-Buenain.
The third gold medal for Qatar was delivered by Emile Fawzi in the 200m butterfly after he set another new Games record of 2:02.20 minutes. Saudi swimmer Mohammed Al Zaki claimed silver, while Kuwait’s Mohammed Al Otaibi took bronze.
In the sprint events, Ali Tamer secured silver in the 50m freestyle with a time of 22.69 seconds. Saudi Arabia’s Imad Al Din Zaben won gold and established a new Games record of 22.64 seconds, while Bahrain’s Mikhail Arkhangelski finished third in 22.85 seconds.
Meanwhile, Abdullah Al Ghamri added another silver medal for Qatar in the 100m backstroke after clocking 58.32 seconds. Saudi swimmer Ali Al Issa captured gold with a Games record time of 57.39 seconds, while compatriot Ali Abdulwahab earned bronze.
Swimming competitions resume on Wednesday with athletes competing in the 400m freestyle, 50m breaststroke, 100m freestyle, 200m backstroke and the 4x100m freestyle relay events.
