Staff Reporter
Doha: Team Qatar continued their impressive run at the GCC Games Doha 2026 after securing a remarkable haul of medals across athletics, bowling, boxing and handball competitions on another exciting day of action in the Qatari capital.
At Suhaim bin Hamad Stadium, Qatar’s athletics team delivered a dominant performance on the opening day of track and field competitions, collecting 13 medals, including five gold, five silver and three bronze medals, under the Games slogan “One Gulf, One Heart.”
The hosts produced a memorable performance in the men’s 5,000m race walk, where Mabrouk Saleh Al Karbi claimed gold with a winning time of 24:21.75 minutes. Fellow Qatari athlete Issa Barshim secured silver in 32:27.68 minutes, while the UAE’s Ayoub Sarouash took bronze.
One of the standout moments of the evening came in the men’s high jump, where Qatar’s Olympic and world champion Mutaz Barshim shared the gold medal with Oman’s Fatek Abdulghafour Bait Jaaboub after both athletes successfully cleared 2.16m. The moment mirrored Barshim’s celebrated gesture at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, when he shared Olympic gold with Italy’s Gianmarco Tamberi, once again highlighting the spirit of sportsmanship and Gulf unity. Saudi Arabia’s Ahmed Al Tarouti secured bronze.
Team Qatar added two more medals in the men’s 800m race as Hatem Hamida won silver and Mubarak Abdi claimed bronze, while the UAE’s Ibrahim Al Dhafiri took gold.
In the shot put competition, Hamza Al Suwaisi secured silver for Qatar behind Saudi Arabia’s Mohammed Tolo, while Bahrain’s Abdulrahman Mahmoud claimed bronze.
Qatar also dominated the men’s 3,000m steeplechase as Zakaria Ibrahim captured gold in 8:35.13 minutes, ahead of teammate Yasser Salem Bougrab, who earned silver.
In the men’s pole vault, Saif Abdul Salam delivered another gold medal for Team Qatar, while Saudi Arabia’s Hussein Al Hizam and Mohammed Al Qadehi took silver and bronze respectively.
Qatar’s women athletes also made their mark. Sara Ali won gold in the women’s 100m hurdles with a time of 13.87 seconds, while teammate Shahad Mohammed earned bronze. The UAE’s Al Jazi Farhan claimed silver.
In the women’s 800m, Maryam Al Saleh added another bronze medal for Qatar, while Bahrain secured gold and silver through Nelly Korir and Zainab Mohammed.
Qatar’s medal tally continued to rise as Dana Salem claimed bronze in the women’s 100m, while Salma Hamed secured bronze in the women’s long jump competition.
The athletics programme continues today with a packed schedule featuring women’s javelin throw, pole vault, long jump, men’s hammer throw, javelin throw and the 4x400m relay events.
Meanwhile, Qatar’s bowlers celebrated another gold medal after the trio team of Talal Al Marri, Badr Al Sada and Jassim Al Marikhi won the trio competition with an impressive total of 3785 points across six games.
Saudi Arabia claimed silver with 3655 points, while Kuwait secured bronze with 3633 points. The medals were presented by Abdullah Sultan Al Qattan and Salman Abdullah Abdulghani, Honorary President of the Qatar Bowling Federation.
The bowling competition will continue with the team event over the next two days before the overall champions are crowned.
In boxing, Team Qatar added three more medals to their tally under the roof of the Aspire Dome.
Mohammed Al Faqih secured silver in the 55kg category after falling 4-1 in the final to Saudi Arabia’s Muhannad Majrashi. Al Faqih had earlier advanced to the final after a dominant semi-final victory over the UAE’s Sultan Abdullah.
Qatar’s Mohammed Lassad also earned silver in the 75kg category after losing to Bahrain’s Ali Abdullah in the final. Meanwhile, Youssef Al Sayed claimed bronze in the 60kg division.
The medal ceremony was attended by Sheikh Fahad bin Khalid Al Thani.
In handball, Team Qatar’s senior side opened their campaign with a convincing 28-20 victory over the UAE at Duhail Arena.
The first half was closely contested, with Qatar taking a narrow 13-12 lead into the break. However, the hosts raised their level significantly in the second half after Montenegrin coach Veselin Vujovic introduced tactical adjustments that strengthened the defence and improved attacking transitions.
Qatar gradually widened the gap before comfortably sealing victory by eight goals to secure their opening two points in the competition.
The handball tournament continues with Bahrain facing Kuwait today, while Team Qatar will return to action tomorrow against Kuwait as they continue their pursuit of another Gulf title on home soil.
