Saudi athletes ready for nation’s historic 13th Olympics

Hussain Al-Hizam. (Supplied)
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Hussain Al-Hizam. (Supplied)
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Updated 28 July 2024
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Saudi athletes ready for nation’s historic 13th Olympics

Saudi athletes ready for nation’s historic 13th Olympics
  • 7 to compete at Paris Games from July 26-Aug. 11
  • In show jumping, taekwondo, shot put, pole vault

JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia is gearing up for what is being hailed as one of its most important appearances in the Olympic Games.

The Kingdom will make its 13th appearance at the Summer Olympics and will be among 206 countries competing from July 26 to Aug. 11 in Paris.

Seven athletes have qualified and will participate in showjumping (four), Taekwondo (one), shot put (one) and pole vault (one).

The squad will look to better their tally of one silver medal from the Tokyo Games won by Tariq Hamdi in the 75 kg karate competition.

Habib Al-Amin, executive director of the Saudi Arabian Athletics Federation and Shaddad Al-Omari, president of the Saudi Taekwondo Federation, told Arab News recently they were looking forward to the competition.

Both lauded the support provided by the Saudi Olympic & Paralympic Committee.

Speaking from Antalya in Turkiye, where taekwondo competitor Donia Abu Taleb is holding her training camp, Al-Omari said the contest would likely be intense.

 “Competing against the best 15 taekwondo players in the world will be a very tough competition but Donia is capable of winning. She is not there to participate but to compete.”

Al-Amin added: “We are extremely proud of our track and field athletes for the hard work they put in to achieve this level of excellence.

“(Mohammed) Tolo (shotput) and (Hussain) Al-Hizam (pole vault) exerted their best efforts to reach the Paris games. Definitely, we have high hopes in both athletes and looking forward to their performance.”

Saudi Arabia athletes who have qualified for Paris:

Show jumping

Saudi Arabia won first place in the Group G qualifiers at the Doha International Show Jumping Championship in 2023. They last competed in London in 2012.

The team are: Ramzi Al-Dahami, Abdullah Al-Sharbatly, Abdul Rahman Al-Rajhi and Khaled Al-Mabti.

Taekwondo

Donia Abu Taleb competes in the 49 kg category and will be Saudi Arabia’s only female at this Olympics. She sealed her participation at the Asian Olympic qualifying tournaments.

The 27-year-old is Saudi Arabia’s best chance of winning a medal in Paris.

The current world No. 4 won bantamweight bronze at the 2022 Asian championships, and flyweight bronze at the world championships in Mexico in the same year.

Shot put

Mohammed Tolu broke the Asian record and attained Olympic qualifying with a throw of 21.80 meters in Madrid on June 24, bettering his personal best of 20.80 meters.

Tolu won silver at the Asian Games last summer in Hangzhou, China, in a tight contest.

Pole vault

Hussain Al-Hizam was the last athlete to qualify for the Games. On June 24, Al-Hizam won a bronze medal at the Memorial Czeslawa Cybulskiego in Poznan, Poland, with a height of 5.62 meters.

He won a bronze medal at the 19th Asian Games in 2023 and gold at the 2017 Islamic Solidarity Games. His personal bests are 5.70 meters indoors and outdoors.

Saudi Arabia’s Olympic Games history

The Kingdom began competing in 1965 when the International Olympic Committee approved its participation.

The country has competed in 12 Summer Games, first appearing in Munich in 1972 and only missed the 1980 Moscow Games.

The nation won its first two Olympic medals in Sydney in 2000. Hadi Soua’an Al-Somaily won silver in the men’s 400-meter hurdles and Khaled Al-Eid won bronze in individual show jumping.

In 2012, the Kingdom’s first female athletes participated in the London Games. Sarah Attar represented the nation in the 800 meters, and Wojdan Shaherkani competed in women’s judo.


Saad bin Munawar becomes first Pakistani to summit Mt Everest from northern side

Updated 25 sec ago
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Saad bin Munawar becomes first Pakistani to summit Mt Everest from northern side

Saad bin Munawar becomes first Pakistani to summit Mt Everest from northern side

ISLAMABAD: In a remarkable feat, Saad bin Munawar has become the first Pakistani to summit the world’s tallest mountain, 8,848-meter Mount Everest, from its northern face, his expedition organizer said on Saturday.

Munawwar was part of a team of nine climbers who summitted the world’s tallest peak as part of the Everest North Expedition organized by Imagine Nepal.

The route to Everest peak from the northern face starts in Tibet, which is different from the Nepalese side route that most mountaineers take to ascend the peak.

“Saad has become the only Pakistani climber to reach the summit of Mount Everest from the north side,” his expedition organizer said on Facebook.

“The other climbers include Justin Moore Walker, Dawa Gyalje Sherpa, Ang Mingma Sherpa, Sonam Tashi Sherpa, Ngima Dorjee Sherpa, Lakpa Tenzing Sherpa, Dawa Kami Sherpa, and Thupten Topchen Sherpa.”

A renowned adventurer, mountaineer and author, Munawwar has long been a source of inspiration in Pakistan’s adventure community. Before this Everest ascent, he was the first Pakistani to summit 6,961-meter Mt.

Aconcagua, the highest peak outside Asia, according to Alpine Club of Pakistan (ACP), which arranges various expeditions in Munawwar’s home country.

“This remarkable achievement is not only a personal triumph for Saad but a proud milestone for Pakistan’s mountaineering community,” it said in a statement.

“His leadership in expeditions and mountaineering literature continues to motivate a new generation of climbers.”

Earlier this week, Pakistani woman mountaineer Naila Kiani scaled 8,586-meter Kanchenjunga, the world’s third highest peak, to become the first Pakistani woman to scale 12 of the world’s 14 peaks above the height of 8,000 meters.

Kiani now stands on the threshold of joining a global elite of only 17 women who have conquered all 14 eight-thousanders, Imagine Nepal, which also organized Kiani’s expedition, said after Friday’s summit.


Rafael Nadal gets a farewell ceremony at a tournament he won a record 14 times

Rafael Nadal gets a farewell ceremony at a tournament he won a record 14 times
Updated 26 min 32 sec ago
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Rafael Nadal gets a farewell ceremony at a tournament he won a record 14 times

Rafael Nadal gets a farewell ceremony at a tournament he won a record 14 times
  • There were plenty of active players on the program for Day 1 of the year’s second Grand Slam tennis tournament

PARIS: Rafael Nadal’s first French Open match in the tournament’s main stadium came on May 25, 2005 — a straight-set victory in the second round against Xavier Malisse. That made Nadal’s career record in the tournament 2-0, and he was just getting started on the way to what would end up as a 112-4 mark and 14 championships at Paris.
On Sunday, 20 years to the day after that win, Nadal was scheduled to be back at Court Philippe-Chatrier, only instead of competing, he was going to be feted by the French tennis federation for all that he accomplished on the red clay.
“Celebrating the King,” was the way the event was described on social media by the official Roland-Garros feed. There was no exact time for the start of the ceremony, only word that it would begin after the three day-session matches in Chatrier would finish — so perhaps somewhere around 5 or 6 p.m. local time (11 a.m or noon ET).
There were plenty of active players on the program for Day 1 of the year’s second Grand Slam tennis tournament, of course, from No. 1-ranked Aryna Sabalenka to two-time major runnerup Jasmine Paolini, from US Open semifinalist Ben Shelton to Paris Olympics medalists Zheng Qinwen and Lorenzo Musetti.
None, though, was likely to draw as much attention and adulation as the 38-year-old former player with 22 total Grand Slam titles and known to all as “Rafa,” who played his final competitive match in the Davis Cup in November. Some folks did not think the tribute to him after a loss in his last appearance there lived up to what it should have been, and event director Feliciano Lopez had to defend it.
Other tournaments put off holding celebrations for Nadal this season, including Monte Carlo, Barcelona and Rome.
It just seemed fitting to all that the next big show should come at the site of so many of those lefty uppercut forehands, so many sprints to reach seemingly unreachable shots by opponents, so many triumphs.
This is the way Nadal described the fans in Paris: “They give me the love and the support every single second I have been on court.”
They were expected to pack the house on Sunday and it sounded as if some players planned to take in the scene, too, although at least one, four-time French Open champion Iga Swiatek, was going to need to make sure it wouldn’t interrupt her preparation for competition.
“I need to be aware that, for sure, I’m going to cry,” Swiatek said. “I would love to be there, because we should all kind of get together and celebrate Rafa and what he did for our sport and what kind of inspiration he was and still is.”
Stefanos Tsitsipas — twice a Slam finalist, including at the 2021 French Open — joked that Nadal won the trophy 29 times in Paris.
“It will be tough,” Tsitsipas said, “to see him go away.”


Raducanu overcomes fear of needles to manage back injury ahead of French Open

Raducanu overcomes fear of needles to manage back injury ahead of French Open
Updated 25 May 2025
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Raducanu overcomes fear of needles to manage back injury ahead of French Open

Raducanu overcomes fear of needles to manage back injury ahead of French Open
  • The 22-year-old suffered a back spasm at the Strasbourg Grand Prix earlier this week
  • She had faced a similar problem before this year’s Australian Open

Former US Open champion Emma Raducanu has overcome her phobia of needles in a bid to relieve a back injury ahead of her first round match against China’s Wang Xinyu at the French Open on Monday.

The 22-year-old suffered a back spasm at the Strasbourg Grand Prix earlier this week, and had faced a similar problem before this year’s Australian Open. Raducanu said dry needling and heat therapy have helped relieve it.

The Briton reached the second round in her last Roland Garros appearance three years ago, before undergoing wrist and ankle surgeries in 2023. She has steadily climbed back into the world’s top 50 after slipping out of the top 300 last year.

“It feels OK, it feels good, not 100 percent yet, but we’re working toward that. I still have a couple of days,” Raducanu told BBC Sport. “I would say the one before Australia was worse. I feel like this one I kind of caught before it fully locked up.

“At the start of the year I was so scared of needles. It was my biggest phobia... Since then, I’ve been kind of dipping my toes into it because I know it helps even though I’m really scared of them. That’s how I’ve kind of been trying to manage it.”

During the claycourt season, Raducanu reached the last 16 of the Italian Open, where she lost to eventual runner-up Coco Gauff. She fell in the second round of the Madrid Open to Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk.


Timberwolves set team playoff record in rout of Thunder

Timberwolves set team playoff record in rout of Thunder
Updated 25 May 2025
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Timberwolves set team playoff record in rout of Thunder

Timberwolves set team playoff record in rout of Thunder
  • The Timberwolves set a franchise record for most points scored in a playoff game
  • The Timberwolves, desperate to avoid falling behind 3-0 in the series, wasted little time taking command

Anthony Edwards scored 30 points on 12-for-17 shooting and grabbed nine rebounds, and the Minnesota Timberwolves raced to a 143-101 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 3 of the Western Conference finals on Saturday night in Minneapolis.

Julius Randle added 24 points on 9-for-15 shooting for Minnesota, which pulled within 2-1 in the best-of-seven series. Rookie Terrence Shannon Jr. scored 15 points off the bench, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker chipped in 12 points off the bench.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 14 points despite missing nine of 13 shots from the field for Oklahoma City. Ajay Mitchell scored 14 points off the bench, and Jalen Williams contributed 13 points.

Game 4 will be on Monday in Minneapolis.

The Timberwolves set a franchise record for most points scored in a playoff game.

Minnesota shot 57.3 percent (55 of 96) from the field and 50 percent (20 of 40) from beyond the arc. Oklahoma City shot 40.7 percent (35 of 86) overall and 31.8 percent (14 of 44) from 3-point range.

The Timberwolves, who were desperate to avoid falling behind 3-0 in the series, wasted little time taking command. They jumped out to a 34-14 lead at the end of the first quarter, which included 3-pointers by Alexander-Walker and Edwards in the final two minutes.

The Thunder trailed 13-9 when Minnesota went on a 12-0 run to seize a 25-9 advantage with 2:41 remaining in the first quarter. Edwards started the run with a 3-pointer, and he followed 15 seconds later with a driving dunk.

By halftime, the Timberwolves increased their advantage to 72-41. Randle made a pair of free throws to put Minnesota on top by 33 points with 43.5 seconds left in the half, and Williams finished the first-half scoring with a 3-pointer for the Thunder.

Oklahoma City failed to cut into its deficit in the third quarter. The Thunder were outscored 35-29 during that session to fall behind 107-70.

Another 12-0 run by Minnesota turned a 74-52 lead into an 86-52 advantage midway through the third quarter. Jaden McDaniels started the run with a 3-pointer.

Both teams turned to reserve players in the final minutes with the score well out of reach.


Champions to be crowned as Lahore, Quetta face off in PSL final today

Champions to be crowned as Lahore, Quetta face off in PSL final today
Updated 25 May 2025
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Champions to be crowned as Lahore, Quetta face off in PSL final today

Champions to be crowned as Lahore, Quetta face off in PSL final today
  • The showdown begins this evening at Lahore’s Qaddafi Stadium with major prize money on the line
  • Shaheen Afridi-led Lahore Qalandars aim for a third PSL title and a historic win on home ground

KARACHI: Defending champions Lahore Qalandars will face 2019 winners Quetta Gladiators in the final of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) today, Sunday, with both sides aiming to make history in the tenth edition of the country’s premier T20 tournament.

The final will be played under lights at Lahore’s Qaddafi Stadium, with the match set to begin at 7:30 p.m. local time. A reserve day has been scheduled for Monday in case of rain.

The winner will walk away with $500,000 in prize money, while the runners-up will receive $200,000.

Either the Shaheen Shah Afridi-led Qalandars will become only the second team in PSL history to win three titles, or the Saud Shakeel-led Gladiators will lift their second trophy after a six-year gap.

Qalandars fought their way into the final through the playoffs, knocking out Karachi Kings and Islamabad United, while Quetta topped the points table and beat Islamabad in the qualifier to book their spot.

“I’m thrilled and honored to be leading Quetta Gladiators to an HBL PSL final and we will do our best to lift the trophy,” Shakeel said. “Qaddafi Stadium really has been a lucky venue for us where we have won five out of our six games and will look to continue the winning momentum.”

Afridi said Lahore were aiming for a title hat trick on home turf.

“We are buzzing to feature in our third HBL PSL final in the last four editions and our aim is to complete the treble at our home ground,” he said.

Lahore, who finished fourth in the group stage, will take confidence from their previous outing against Quetta, where they secured a commanding 79-run win before their second encounter was washed out.

Fakhar Zaman, Abdullah Shafique and Mohammad Naeem have led the charge with the bat for Qalandars, while Shaheen, Haris Rauf and Rishad Hossain have spearheaded the bowling attack.

Quetta, meanwhile, have enjoyed a dramatic turnaround after finishing last in 2023.

Their success this season has been fueled by consistent performances from Hasan Nawaz, Rilee Rossouw and a bowling unit featuring Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf and Mohammad Amir.

Both captains promised a highly competitive final to close out what has been a landmark 34-match edition of the HBL PSL.