Royal honor for Bahrain’s 2024 Olympic medalists

King Hamad with the Olympic medalists (BNA)

By Habib  Toumi

MANAMA: Bahrain has honored its Paris Summer Olympic medalists.
King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa congratulated the laureates and conferred the Order of Competence on the winners of the four medals – two gold, one silver, and one bronze – whose outstanding performance led to Bahrain’s historic achievement of topping the Arab nations and finishing 33rd in the ranking of the global competition that brought together athletes from 206 countries and Olympic committees.

On August 6, Winfred Yavi opened Bahrain’s remarkable tally thanks to a stellar performance in the Women’s 3000 m steeplechase and clocking an Olympic record time of 8:52.76 to win the gold medal. Her time was the third fastest time in history.

Three days later, Salwa Eid Naser’s impressive show in the Women’s 400 m secured Bahrain silver medal, clocking 48.53.

On August 10, Gor Minasyan won the bronze medal in the men’s weightlifting competition (+102 kg), and on August 11, Akhmed Taj Eddin won Bahrain’s second gold medal in the men’s wrestling competition (−97 kg) after he beat Amir Ali Azarpira (Iran), Alisher Yergali (Kazakhstan), Kyle Snyder (USA) and Givi Matcharashvili (Georgia).

Such remarkable achievements inspire future ambitions, King Hamad stressed as he lauded the athletes’ prowess and their commitment to further achievements in the upcoming competitions.
Acknowledging the support of the Bahraini sports community, King Hamad highlighted the collective efforts that have propelled Bahrain to competitive prominence and led the nation to many titles and honorsThe King commended the leadership and efforts of His Highness Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, HM King’s Representative for Humanitarian Work and Youth Affairs, and HH Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa in promoting Bahrain’s sporting standards, saying that they resulted in significant regional and international accomplishments.

“It was an honor to showcase our Olympic Games experiences and medal to His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa. We are deeply grateful for His Majesty’s continued support,” Winfred posted on her X (formerly Twitter) account alongside a picture with King Hamad.