Barshim channels Tokyo spirit to share gold as Qatar athletes dominate

“Qatar’s high jump icon Mutaz Barshim marked his return to competition in memorable fashion as the hosts produced a glittering 14-medal haul on the opening day of athletics at the 4th GCC Games Doha 2026 at the Suhaim Bin Hamad Stadium yesterday. Qatar finished the day with five gold, four silver and five bronze medals, with Barshim’s high jump triumph providing the standout moment of the evening. The Qatari star shared the gold medal with Oman’s Fatih Abdulghafour Beit Jaaboub after both athletes cleared 2.16m, recreating the spirit of sportsmanship that made headlines at the Tokyo Olympics when Barshim famously shared Olympic gold with Italy’s Gianmarco Tamberi. After the judges asked whether he wished to continue the contest, Barshim chose to share the title with the Omani athlete in a gesture that reflected the spirit of Gulf unity and camaraderie. The gold was Barshim’s fourth medal in Gulf Games history, having previously won titles in the first, third and fourth editions, in addition to a bronze medal in the second edition. Saudi Arabia’s Ahmed al-Tarouti claimed bronze. Barshim, having been out of action for long due to recurring injury setbacks, expressed delight at making a successful return. 'Praise be to God. This is my first championship of the season after an absence of almost two years since the Paris Olympics. Last year I was unable to participate due to a serious injury, and today, thank God, I was able to return, participate, and win gold,' Barshim said. Jaaboub said sharing the title with one of the sport’s greatest athletes was a proud moment. “It’s a wonderful feeling competing with the legend Mutaz Barshim. Sharing the gold with a champion of his calibre is a great honour for me,” the Omani athlete said. Qatar also dominated the men’s 5,000m race walk, securing gold and silver through Mabrouk Saleh Al-Karbi and Essa Barshim respectively. Al-Karbi won in 24:21.75, while Essa Barshim clocked 32:27.68. UAE’s Ayoub Sarwash took bronze. In the men’s 3,000m steeplechase, Zakaria Ibrahim delivered another gold for the hosts with a winning time of 8:35.13, while compatriot Yasser Salem Bughrab secured silver in 9:08.58. Seifeldin Abdelsalam added to Qatar’s golden run by winning the pole vault title ahead of Saudi pair Hussein Al-Hizam and Mohammed Al-Qudaihi. On the women’s side, Sara Ali struck gold in the 100m hurdles after clocking 13.87secs, while teammate Shahd Mohammed claimed bronze. UAE’s AlJazi Farhan won silver. Qatar’s medal tally continued to grow across the track and field programme. Hatem Hamida claimed silver and Mubarak Abdi bronze in the men’s 800m, won by UAE’s Ibrahim Al-Dhafeeri. Hamza Al-Suwaissi secured silver in the men’s shot put behind Saudi Arabia’s Mohammed Tolu. Meryem Salek won bronze in the women’s 800m, while Dana Salem added another bronze in the women’s 100m sprint. Salma Hamed also finished third in the women’s long jump. The athletics competitions continue today with finals in several events, including the men’s and women’s 400m, men’s 110m hurdles, javelin throw, long jump and the 4x400m relays.

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