Oman beat Syria to clinch football gold
abu dhabi — Mahmoud Hamad Al Hakmani scored a brace and Mohammed Al Ruzaiqi a third one as Oman beat Syria to pick football gold at the ninth Special Olympics Mena Games.
Al Hakmani said the players were determined to raise the Omani flag in the UAE Capital.
“The feeling of winning cannot be described and by taking home the gold we will get a great welcome from our country. We are excited to raise our flag. I dedicate our win to the Omani people. We also would like to thank the UAE and the Emirati fans for continuously supporting us and for everything they have done for us,” he said.
Omani coach Saif Al Seyabi acknowledged Syria’s efforts.
“Syria was a great opponent but we had good opportunities and scored three goals and won. The Omani, Syrian, and Kuwaiti teams are almost at the same level.
“God was with us today and our plans worked well. We dedicate our win to our wise leaders and to the Omani people and we promise to bring back home the gold at the World Games in 2019,” Al Seyabi said.
Even as Oman topped in football, another nation quietly dominated track events – Libya. The North African team managed seven golds too.
The team’s star runner, Usain Bolt-esque Ala El Furawi, took gold in his 100m and 200m races, while teammate Hazem Mousa won his 400m race.
On Tuesday morning, they took gold in division 3 of the men’s 4x100m relay with a time of 50.89 seconds, securing El Furawi’s triple double in the process.
In a team of strong sprinters, El Furawi is undeniably the star. His physique, running style and even his showmanship have undeniable similarities to Usain Bolt.
In winning his three gold medals, El Furawi also clocked the fastest 100m and 200m times of the week across all divisions — 12.46 seconds and 25.03 seconds respectively.
El Furawi said his preparations were good for the event and he felt ready for the next year’s World Games.