UAE wins first medal at Asian Games 2026 as Sulaiman Abdulrahman takes 400m silver

NAGOYA: The UAE opened its medal account at the Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 as Sulaiman Abdulrahman claimed silver in the men’s 400m, clocking 44.99 seconds and finishing just 0.09 seconds behind Thailand’s Joshua Atkinson, who took gold in 44.90 seconds. Emmanuel Bamidele also competed in the final, recording 45.97 seconds. Aminat Qamardeen clocked 23.61 seconds in the women’s 200m heats, while Abdul Quddus Ali recorded 21.05 seconds in the men’s 200m semi-finals, having qualified from the heats in 21.07 seconds. The men’s 400m final was attended by Faris Mohammed Al Mutawa, Secretary General of the UAE Olympic Committee; Noura Al Jasmi, Member of the Board of Directors of the UAE Olympic Committee; Major General Dr Mohammed Abdullah Al Murr, Member of the Board of Directors of the UAE Olympic Committee and President of the UAE Athletics Federation; and Jamila Abdulrahman, Member of the Board of Directors of the UAE Athletics Federation. They followed the race and supported the UAE athletes throughout the competition. Major General Dr Mohammed Abdullah Al Murr extended his highest congratulations to and to the UAE leadership and people on the nation’s first medal at the Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026, after national team athlete Sulaiman Abdulrahman claimed silver in the men’s 400m following an outstanding performance and a fiercely contested race that went down to the final metres. Major General Dr Mohammed Abdullah Al Murr also congratulated H.H. Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, President of the UAE Olympic Committee, and Sheikh Rashid bin Humaid Al Nuaimi, Vice President of the UAE Olympic Committee, commending the support and attention extended to UAE sport and the national teams, which provide further motivation to pursue even greater achievements for the UAE. Major General Dr Mohammed Al Murr said, "We are delighted that athletics has opened the UAE’s medal account at the Games. For us, this silver feels like gold, given the high standard of the race and the extremely narrow margin to first place. Sulaiman delivered an outstanding performance that reflects how we want UAE athletics to be represented on the continental and international stages.” He added, "This achievement carries even greater significance because Sulaiman is still an under-20 athlete. Earlier this year, he won gold in the 400m at the Asian U20 Athletics Championships in Hong Kong, clocking 44.85 seconds to set a championship record and become the first athlete in the history of the championships to break the 45-second barrier.” Al Murr stressed that the results achieved by the UAE’s young athletes reinforce confidence in the future of UAE athletics. He said: "We believe that investing in young talent is the way to build a generation capable of competing for medals at continental and international level. What we are seeing today is the result of sustained work and continued investment in athletics. We will continue to build on these results in the next phase as we pursue greater ambitions and strive to raise the UAE flag on the podium.” The UAE Athletics Federation President concluded: "We dedicate this achievement to the UAE, its leadership and its people. We congratulate Sulaiman, the technical and administrative teams, and everyone who contributed to this achievement. We still have important events ahead, and we have great confidence in all our national team athletes. We look forward to tomorrow’s competitions with optimism and hope that even greater achievements lie ahead for UAE athletics.” In equestrian, Ali Khalfan Al Jahouri and Bianca Schützqualified for the individual dressage final at the Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 after finishing among the top 15 combinations across the two qualifying rounds. Al Jahouri, riding Lotus-S, scored 65.706% in the second qualifier to take his aggregate score to 132.736, while Schütz and Le Grand Ayden HB recorded 66.059% for an aggregate of 132.706. Mohamed Jassim Al Serkal and Zen Liquidity recorded 63.470%, taking their aggregate score to 127.235, while Natalie Lankester and Tesla DXB scored 61.824% for an aggregate of 122.648. Al Jahouri and Schütz will contest the individual dressage freestyle to music final, becoming the first two UAE riders to qualify together for the individual freestyle final at a single edition of the Asian Games. In archery, UAE athletes competed across the individual, team and mixed team events. Khalifa Al Kaabi scored 643 points in the men’s individual recurve qualification, while Aisha Al Ali recorded 624 points, Hessa Al Awadhi 600 and Huda Al Ali 539 in the women’s individual recurve. In the women’s recurve team event, the UAE trio of Aisha Al Ali, Hessa Al Awadhi and Huda Al Ali combined for 1,763 points. In the women’s compound, Amna Al Awadhi scored 691 points, Jumana Al Najjar 675 and Maitha Al Nuaimi 626, giving the UAE team a combined total of 1,992 points. In the men’s compound, Abdullah Al Mansoori recorded 668 points, Sultan Al Menh