Kuwait opens Gulf Games campaign with strong showing

KUNA photo Esraa Malallah and Abdulwahab Batti celebrate with the national flag as their coach looks on.

DOHA, May 13, (KUNA): Kuwait athletes opened their Gulf Games campaign in Doha with six bronze medals, highlighted by strong performances in swimming and taekwondo.

Swimmer Saud Al-Shamroukh claimed bronze in the 800-meter freestyle, while Khalid Al-Otaibi secured bronze in the 200-meter individual medley. Mohammed Al-Otaibi added another medal in the pool after finishing third in the 200-meter butterfly.

In taekwondo, Esraa Malallah earned Kuwait’s first medal of the Games with bronze in the women’s under-67 kg category, while Abdulwahab Batti captured bronze in the men’s under-80 kg division.

Meanwhile, billiards player Suleiman Ghloum advanced to the semi-finals of the 10-ball competition and is set to face a Saudi opponent on Wednesday.

In women’s 3x3 basketball, Kuwait edged Oman 13-12 before narrowly losing to Qatar 14-13, with both results enough to secure a semi-final berth. The men’s team, however, suffered defeats against Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Qatar.

The fourth Gulf Games, running from May 11 to 22 in Doha, features around 1,400 athletes from the six Gulf nations competing across a wide range of sports, including handball, athletics, swimming, taekwondo, shooting, volleyball, padel, fencing, boxing, karate, billiards, equestrian, bowling, and 3x3 basketball.

Kuwait’s Sulaiman Ghuloom secured third place in the 10-ball singles event of the snooker competition at the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Games in Doha.

The result raised Kuwait’s tally at the Games to six bronze medals, according to delegation chief Abdullah Shaaban, who praised the determination and competitive spirit shown by Kuwaiti athletes throughout the tournament.

Shaaban noted that the athletes completed their preparations despite the geopolitical challenges facing the region.