UAE medal tally swells to 274 at Gulf Youth Games

Maintaining stranglehold on the top spot, the UAE further solidified their dominance in the inaugural Gulf Youth Games UAE 2024 as they racked up a whopping 274 medals and continue to widen the lead over other countries.

The UAE are currently hosting the inaugural edition of first-ever Gulf Youth Games, under the theme “Our Gulf is One... Our Youth is Promising.”

On day thirteen, the UAE athletes had their most successful day yet, bringing home an impressive 43 medals after Emirati athletes produced stellar performances in archery, golf, karate, swimming, judo, and billiards.

The UAE’s impressive haul of 274 medals comprised 90 gold, 97 silver, and 87 bronze. Saudi Arabia boosted its medal count by securing an additional 30 medals, bringing their total to 123, securing second place with 49 gold, 46 silver, and 28 bronze. Kuwait maintained their third-place position with 106 medals, including 30 gold, 41 silver, and 35 bronze. Qatar followed in fourth place with 65 medals, including 26 gold, 16 silver, and 23 bronze. Rounding out the top five is Bahrain with 66 medals (21 gold, 17 silver, and 28 bronze). Oman came in sixth place with 48 medals (17 gold, 11 silver, and 20 bronze).

In the competitions at the Sharjah Police Officers Club, the UAE’s national archery team showcased their brilliance, leading the standings with 22 medals in various categories, including 10 gold, 7 silver, and 5 bronze. Qatar followed closely in second place with six medals, comprising three gold, two silver, and one bronze, while Saudi Arabia secured third spot with five medals, featuring four silver and one bronze. Kuwait rounded off the standings with one bronze medal.

The presentation ceremony for the archery winners was attended by Major General Saif Al Zari Al Shamsi, Commander-in-Chief of Sharjah Police, Dr Saeed Musabah Al Kaabi, President of UAE Archery Federation, Qais Al-Dhalai, Chairman of the Technical Committee of the tournament and President of the UAE Rugby Federation, and Dr. Noura Sultan Al Marzouqi, a member of the Board of Directors of the UAE Archery Federation.

The UAE’s rising stars dazzled at the karate mats, securing five medals (two gold and three bronze) in the individual kata and team kumite competitions on the concluding day of the second round. Their stellar performance continued from the first day, where they clinched 18 medals, bringing their total to 23 medals (seven gold, seven silver, and nine bronze). Following closely is Kuwait in second place with 14 medals (four gold, four silver, and six bronze), while Saudi Arabia claimed third with nine medals (three gold, three silver, and three bronze). Qatar rounded up the standings in fourth place with two bronze medal.

The UAE golf team swept the competition as they claimed all three individual medals and grabbing the team gold at the Abu Dhabi Golf Club.

Rayan Ahmed, Mohammed Skaik, Rashid Al Jassmy, and Thomas Nesbitt represented the winning UAE team.

Rayan led the way for team UAE with rounds of 70-71-73 for a championship total 214, 2 under par. Mohammad Skaik won the Individual silver medal with rounds of 81-77-72, 12 over par. Rounding out the top three, and securing the clean sweep of the individual medals for the tournament was Thomas Nesbitt with rounds of 78-78-74, 14 over par.

Winning the team silver medal was the Oman and the Saudi Arabia won the bronze medal.

The winners were crowned in the presence of Sheikh Fahim Bin Sultan Al Qasimi, President of the UAE Golf Federation, Faris Mohammed Al-Mutawa, the Secretary General of the National Olympic Committee, Amal Bushlakh, Member of the Board of Directors of the National Olympic Committee and member of the Organizing Committee for the tournament, General Abdullah Alhashmi, new Vice-Chairman of the Emirates Golf Federation, and Mohammed Bin Darwish, Executive Director of the National Olympic Committee.

The judo competitions concluded at the Mubadala Arena in Zayed Sports City in Abu Dhabi. The Saudi Arabian team won the gold after taking top spot in the rankings with seven medals, including five gold and two silver. Following closely, the Kuwaiti team secured second place with eight medals, comprising two gold, three silver, and three bronze. The UAE team clinched third place with eight medals, including a gold awarded to player Saif Al-Hammadi in the Under 60 kg competition, along with three silver and four bronze medals.