The UAE has secured its first medal at the Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026, with Sulaiman Abdulrahman winning silver in the men’s 400m event. He finished the race in 44.99 seconds, just 0.09 seconds behind Thailand’s Joshua Atkinson, who claimed gold with a time of 44.90 seconds. Emmanuel Bamidele also participated in the final, clocking 45.97 seconds. This achievement marks a significant milestone for the UAE, as reported by Emirates 24|7.
Major General Dr Mohammed Abdullah Al Murr, President of the UAE Athletics Federation, expressed his congratulations to the UAE leadership and citizens on this achievement. He highlighted the competitive nature of the race, noting that Abdulrahman’s performance was exceptional and indicative of the potential of UAE athletics on both continental and international stages.
Dr Al Murr also acknowledged Abdulrahman’s status as an under-20 athlete, recalling his earlier success at the Asian U20 Athletics Championships in Hong Kong, where he set a championship record by breaking the 45-second barrier.
He emphasised the importance of investing in young talent, stating that the results from the UAE’s young athletes reinforce confidence in the future of athletics in the country. Dr Al Murr reiterated the commitment to continue nurturing talent to achieve greater success in upcoming competitions.
In addition to Abdulrahman’s silver, the UAE’s performance in other sports has been promising. In equestrian, Ali Khalfan Al Jahouri and Bianca Schütz qualified for the individual dressage final, becoming the first two UAE riders to achieve this feat at a single edition of the Asian Games.
In archery, UAE athletes participated in various events, with Khalifa Al Kaabi scoring 643 points in the men’s individual recurve qualification. The women’s team also performed well, combining for a total of 1,763 points in their event.
The medal standings currently show China leading with 173 medals, followed by Japan and South Korea. Among Arab nations, Bahrain leads with nine medals, while the UAE is now on the board with its silver medal from Abdulrahman.
Looking ahead, the UAE’s athletes will continue to compete in various events, including shooting and fencing, with hopes of adding more medals to their tally at the Games.
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