Islamic Games: Fatma to battle for bronze in Baku
In a closely contested semifinal, Fatma fought well against Turkey’s Ayla Aksu but went on to lose 5-7, 1-6
MUSCAT: Omani star Fatma Al Nabhani’s dream of winning a gold medal for the Sultanate ended in a semifinal defeat in the women’s singles tennis competition in the ongoing Islamic Solidarity Games in Baku, Azerbaijan on Sunday.
In a closely contested semifinal, the Omani girl fought well initially against a strong Turkish player Ayla Aksu. However, Fatma failed to sustain the pressure and suffered a 5-7, 1-6 defeat.
Fatma though has an opportunity to fetch a bronze medal for the country when she squares off against Uzbekistan’s Sabina Sharipova in the third-place match on the final day of the Games on Monday.
A win against Sabina will help Fatma to add the Islamic Games bronze to her medal collection after having won the individual gold in the 2013 Games held in Indonesia.
In the ongoing Games, Oman have so far won six medals, the latest one of a bronze variety came on Saturday when the men’s relay team finished third in the 4x400m competition. The team comprised Salad Al Ajmi, Mohammed Al Sadi Usama Al Gheilani and Ahmed Al Sadi.
Oman’s other medals included two silver and three bronze, and they came through the efforts of shooters Ismail Al Abri (50m pistol silver), Ismail Al Abri and Wadha Al Balushi (mixed team 10m air pistol silver), Said Al Hashmi (25m rapid fire pistol bronze), Hamed Al Khatri (50m Rifle 3 Position bronze) and star sprinter Barakat Al Harthy (100m bronze).