Bahrain lauds its Rio medallists
Kingdom ready to support all those who have the skills and potential to compete
Bahrain has celebrated its strongest show in the Olympic Games, where at Rio the nation won its first gold medal as well as a silver, a feat that placed it at the top of the table of Arab countries.
“Bahrain’s athletes have demonstrated a high level of professional sportsmanship, achieving global success with record-breaking accomplishments which honoured and elevated the Kingdom’s standing on the international stage,” Crown Prince Salman Bin Hamad Al Khalifa said as he received the sport officials and athletes who participated at the Rio 2016 Olympics.
Prince Salman hailed the improvement to Bahrain’s sports sector over the past few years, attributing the progress to “the tremendous support” provided by King Hamad Bin Eisa Al Khalifa.
In the 2012 Olympics in London, Bahrain won its first ever Olympic medal, achieved by middle-distance runner Maryam Jamal in the women’s 1500 metres.
In 2016, Bahrain led the Arab countries thanks to its gold and silver medals. Only nine of the 22 Arab countries spread across the Middle East and North Africa won medals in Rio.
Congratulating the Bahrain Team on their strong performance in Rio, the Crown Prince said that Bahrain has always taken great pride in the accomplishments of its athletes in local and international sporting events.
Heaped praise
Prince Salman heaped praise on long distance runner Ruth Jebet for earning a gold medal in Rio in the women’s 3000m steeplechase event, and for breaking the women’s 3000m steeplechase world record at the Diamond League meet this week in Paris, highlighting that her outstanding achievements were a first for the Kingdom in international endurance running competitions.
Bahrain’s silver medal at Rio was won by Eunice Kirwa in the marathon after she clocked two hours, 24 minutes and 13 seconds, nine seconds behind gold medal winner Jemima Sumgong.
Prince Salman lauded the role and efforts of the officials involved and said the support provided by the Kingdom had yielded “astonishing results and was evident in the athletes’ efforts of strength, stamina and perseverance.”