Mariam Kareem Wins Historic Gold for UAE at Aichi–Nagoya 2026
Claims Women’s 400m Hurdles Title in Games Record of 54.31 Seconds
UAE Climbs Six Places to 24th Overall and Fifth Among Arab Nations with One Gold and One Silver
Mohammed Al Murr: New Milestone for UAE Athletics Strengthens Ambitions to Compete on Global Stage
Mariam Kareem won the UAE’s first gold medal at the Asian Games Aichi–Nagoya 2026, claiming the women’s 400m hurdles title in a new Games record of 54.31 seconds. Her performance also marked the world’s best U20 time of 2026, adding a historic achievement to UAE sport.
Mariam produced an outstanding performance, finishing 0.27 seconds ahead of Kazakhstan’s Adelina Zems, who took silver in 54.58 seconds. India’s Vithya Ramraj claimed bronze in 54.75 seconds, with both athletes recording personal bests.
The gold lifted the UAE’s tally to two medals, following Sulaiman Abdulrahman’s silver in the men’s 400m. The result saw the UAE climb six places to 24th in the overall medal standings and fifth among Arab nations.
The women’s 400m hurdles was attended by His Excellency Faris Mohammed Al Mutawa, Secretary General of the UAE Olympic Committee; His Excellency 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 watched the race and supported the UAE national team athletes during the competition.
Mohammed Al Murr: Historic Milestone for UAE Athletics
Major General Dr Mohammed Abdullah Al Murr, President of the UAE Athletics Federation, extended his highest congratulations to His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE; His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai; His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Presidential Court; and His Highness Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, President of the UAE Olympic Committee, on Mariam Kareem’s historic achievement in winning the women’s 400m hurdles gold medal and securing the UAE’s first gold of the Games.
Major General Al Murr said: “We are proud of Mariam Kareem’s exceptional achievement. She not only delivered the UAE’s first gold medal of the Games, but also set a new Games record of 54.31 seconds and recorded the world’s best U20 time of 2026 — all at just 18 years of age. This underlines the emergence of a promising Emirati talent with all the attributes to compete at the highest level on the global stage.”
He added: “This achievement is a manifestation of the tremendous support extended to UAE sport by our wise leadership. It reflects the success of our investment in national talent and the continuous efforts to advance UAE athletics. Today’s achievement further strengthens our ambitions to compete for podium places at World Championships and Olympic Games.”
The Federation President concluded by congratulating Mariam Kareem, the technical and administrative teams, her family, and everyone who contributed to the achievement. He stressed that the historic gold medal and outstanding time would provide further impetus to keep working toward more achievements and to raise the UAE flag high at major international sporting events.
Jumana Al Najjar advanced to the round of 16 in the women’s individual compound archery event after defeating Afghanistan’s Fatima Sadat Sadr 140–137, before concluding her campaign with a 140–148 result against South Korea’s Park Jungyun. Also in the round of 16, Amna Al Awadhi delivered an impressive performance against Malaysia’s Fatin Nurfatehah Mat Salleh in a single-point contest, 144–143, in favour of the Malaysian.
In the men’s individual compound archery event, Sultan Al Menhali concluded his campaign in the round of 32 after a 139–148 defeat to China’s Liu Jinyi, while Abdullah Al Mansoori also bowed out at the same stage, losing 141–147 to South Korea’s Choi Yonghee.
In the men’s trap qualifiers, Sheikh Mohammed bin Dalmook Al Maktoum brought his tally to 95 targets after four rounds on the second day of competition, while Yahya Suhail Al Muhairi recorded 90. The qualifiers conclude tomorrow, with the final scheduled for later the same day.
UAE national padel team players Fatima Shahdour and Maryam Al Hashemi concluded their women’s doubles campaign after a straight-sets defeat to the Iranian pair in the first round, 6–7, 3–6.
In sailing, Doha Al Beshr stood eighth overall in the women’s Olympic ILCA 6 class after two races in the points-scoring stage, with 17 points, while Sultan Al Owais was ninth overall in the men’s Olympic ILCA 7 class after two races at the same stage, with 20 points.
Judo Team Preparations Reviewed
His Excellency Faris Mohammed Al Mutawa, Secretary General of the UAE Olympic Committee; His Excellency Dr Nasser Al Tamimi, Member of the Board of Directors of the UAE Olympic Committee; His Excellency Abdulmohsen Fahad Al Dosari, Member of the Board of Directors of the UAE Football Association; and Mohammed bin Darwish, Executive Director of the UAE Olympic Committee, attended the UAE national judo team’s training session ahead of its participation in the Games.
During the visit, the delegation reviewed the team’s training progress and the athletes’ readiness, and was briefed on the key stages of its preparation programme. The final phase included a training camp hosted by Japan’s Tokai University under a cooperation agreement between the federation and the university, reflecting the sustainable strategic partnership between the two sides and contributing to the development of judo in the UAE and across the region.
The UAE national judo team will compete at the Games from 30 September to 3 October 2026 with four athletes: Najad Kazbek in the under-73kg category, Georgii Elbakiev in the under-81kg category, Mohammed Murad Gad in the under-90kg category, and Mohammed Omar Marouf in the over-100kg category.
Medal Standings
China continued to lead the medal standings with 225 medals, comprising 128 gold, 52 silver and 45 bronze. Japan followed with 170 medals — 41 gold, 67 silver and 62 bronze — while South Korea was third with 90 medals — 21 gold, 26 silver and 43 bronze.
Bahrain remained the leading Arab nation and eighth overall with 13 medals — eight gold, two silver and three bronze. Qatar was second among Arab nations with seven medals — three gold, two silver and two bronze — followed by Kuwait in third with five medals — two gold, one silver and two bronze. Jordan ranked fourth with three medals — one gold, one silver and one bronze — while the UAE was fifth with one gold and one silver.
Tomorrow’s Competitions
UAE national teams continue their participation in the Games tomorrow, Tuesday. The esports team will face Malaysia, Saudi Arabia and Vietnam in Group A of the League of Legends competition, while Khalifa Al Kaabi, Aisha Al Ali and Hessa Al Awadhi will contest the individual recurve archery elimination rounds.
In shooting, Sheikh Mohammed bin Dalmook Al Maktoum and Yahya Suhail Al Muhairi will continue their men’s individual trap qualifiers, while Fatima Al Janahi and Aisha Al Awadhi will represent the UAE padel team against Lebanon in the first round of the women’s doubles competition.
