Arab sports achievements: Bahraini gold medal in the marathon and artistic statements about football teams

Veteran Bahraini marathon runner Shitayeh Habti won her first gold medal at the Asian Games on Saturday in Japan, 16 years after she won silver in the 10,000-meter race during the Guangzhou Games.

The mother of three children was able to outperform China's Serene Chumu and Japan's Mikuni Yada, crossing the finish line with a time of 2:27:31 hours.

Habti raised Bahrain's tally to five gold medals, occupying ninth place in the overall standings, which China leads.

“Maybe it's time to retire,” Habti said. “I am 36 years old, but my goal in my last competition is to participate in the World Championships (2027).”

The Ethiopian native added: “I have three children, and my second son used to tell me: ‘Mama, don’t run.’” He wants me to stay home. But he will be very happy now.”

The marathon race witnessed calm events at the beginning before concluding with a wonderful finish, so that Bahrain won its third consecutive gold medal in this race.

Shitay Habti implemented a patient strategy, as she closely monitored the early starts imposed by the Japanese and Chinese runners before launching a decisive attack in the final kilometers to win the gold with a time of 2:27:31 hours.

Talking about keeping calm during the grueling race, Habti said: “I knew I had to stay calm when the pace picked up at the beginning. My coach told me to trust my training and wait for the right moment to go. Winning the gold medal for Bahrain is an indescribable honor.”

On the other hand, Tshoumo won the silver medal after a strong competition, recording her best time this season with a time of 2:27:43 hours, just 12 seconds behind Habti.

“I gave it my all today,” Serengchwomo said. The pace wasn't very fast at first, and she tried to hold on to the group as the gold medalist took off. “I am very happy to achieve the best number this season and proud to stand on the podium.”

Japan's Mikuni Yada completed the podium by winning the bronze medal with a time of 2:27:56 hours.

Although the Japanese team will undoubtedly be disappointed, given their good knowledge of the track and their advantage of the favorable conditions, the marathon races remain a completely different challenge, proving that local knowledge alone is not enough to win this distance.

Egypt coach Hossam Hassan repeated his attack on the local Premier League, after a draw with Angola at the start of the qualifying campaign for the 2027 African Cup of Nations.

Hassan said in the press conference that followed the match that he hopes that the technical and physical level will become higher in the Egyptian League.

He added: “Unfortunately, I get the players and prepare them for the clubs.” Pointing out that there is no “star player” who caught attention in the league, and that the technical levels of the teams are “very modest.”

Egypt tied 0-0 with Angola at Cairo International Stadium in a match scarce, to occupy second place in the second group of the qualifiers, behind Malawi, which defeated South Sudan.

Hassan sarcastically told reporters after the match: “The players in the national team are from our clubs.” The season has begun, and as you can see, the performance we are seeing in the league is much higher than the football we present with the national team.”

The Egyptian national team will travel to Juba to face South Sudan on Tuesday, in the second round of the qualifiers.

Ibrahim Hamdani, the new coach of the Algerian national football team, confirmed that his team needs greater effectiveness and improvement in finishing the final attack following the “Greens” victory over Zambia 3-1, on Friday evening, at the end of the first round of the ninth group matches of the qualifiers for the 2027 African Cup of Nations finals.

The Algerian national team topped Group Nine on goal difference over the Togolese national team, which defeated its guest, Burundi, with an unanswered goal, earlier on Friday.

Hamdani said, in the press conference after the match: “In general, we succeeded in achieving what we planned. I am satisfied with what we accomplished in the first match, and its result confirms that.” “I think we lived up to the expectations of the fans. We did positive things in the goal related to the playing project, as well as achieving the goal of winning the three points.”

But Hamdani warned of the team’s lack of the offensive effectiveness required against strong teams that have more experience, calling for work to improve the end of the final attack.

He also praised the players' reaction after the Zambian national team adjusted the score in the 57th minute, noting that he informed them during the break between halftime about the opponent's speed and danger in direct play and counterattacks.

He continued: “We cannot be perfect from the first match. We tried, after only 48 hours of work, to put the players in good conditions. They had the audacity to attack, and we will continue to work to be better in the future.”

Hamdani seemed happy with the quality of the players included in the Algerian national team, expressing his hope that he would always have difficulty choosing the starting lineup.

The Algeria coach denied that there was a problem or disagreement with Rayan Ait Nouri, the Manchester City defender, who did not participate in the match, or that striker Mohamed Amin Amoura was angry, explaining that the tests would determine the fate of striker Amine Gouiri, who left the match in the 19th minute due to a thigh injury.

For his part, George Lwandamina, coach of the Zambian national team, acknowledged the right of the Algerian national team to win the match, pointing out that his team must win all the matches that it will play at home in order to remain in the race to qualify for the Cannes finals.

Lwandamina also pointed out that the Zambian national team includes young players full of ambition to work harder, praising the skills of the Algerian national team players, which he ranked among the best teams on the continental level.