MUSCAT: The Sultanate of Oman have won their second medal at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, with Hussain al Farsi finishing third in the men’s 800 metres final on Tuesday.
Earlier, Oman had ended their 13-year medal drought in Asian Games with a historic first-ever silver medal last week.
Oman Sail’s 49er team of Musab al Hadi and Walid al Kindi achieved the feat for Oman in sailing competition.
Hussain al Farsi came home in 1 minute 48.51 seconds for his bronze behind gold medallist Saudi Arabia’s Essa Ali S Kzwani (1:48.05) and silver medallist India’s Mohammed Afsal Pulikkalakath (1:48:43).
Al Farsi qualified for the 800 metres finals after clocking a personal best record of 1:47.68 in the heats topped by India’s Mohammed Afsal.
“Thank God, I was able to make my dream come true. It was a strong competition that lasted until the last seconds. I’m delighted to contribute a second medal for Oman,” Al Farsi said after his feat.
Al Farsi dedicated the medal to His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik.
“I had put in my best in the final. I will strive for more excellence in my future races,” he said after the medal ceremony.
The youngster had promised to get one of the top three positions in the final earlier after finding his best timing with a national record in the heats.
In 200 metres, Oman’s Mohammed al Saadi and Rashid al Asmi ended their campaign in the semifinals.
Mohammed al Saadi came in sixth place in the second group with a time of 21.32 seconds, while Rashid al Asmi came in seventh place in the first group with a time of 21.32 seconds.
Meanwhile, Oman were disqualified for committing a technical foul in the men’s 4x100 metres relay in the preliminary qualifiers.
The team consisting of Barakat al Harthi, Ali al Balushi, Mohammed al Saadi and Rashid al Asmi had finished fifth (39.87 seconds) before they were disqualified for a technical foul during the race course.
In hockey, Oman suffered a 16-2 drubbing against South Korea finishing last in the Pool B.
SECOND MEDAL
Al Farsi’s bronze added up the Oman tally for the first time with a second medal in an Asian Games.
Oman’s first medal came in 1986 at the Seoul Asian Games when sprinting great Mohammed al Malki claimed a bronze medal in the 400-metre race. Al Malki bettered his performance and took the gold medal in the 1990 Beijing Asian Games.
In 1998, Oman won another bronze when the men’s 4x100m relay team finished third in the Bangkok Asian Games.
New sprint icon Barakat al Harthi joined the elite list when he bagged a bronze in 100 metres.
Last week, silver medallists Musab and Walid sailed excellently throughout and kept their composure in the final intense races to take silver. This achievement means the team has secured automatic qualification to the Asian Qualification Regatta in Chon Buri, Thailand, in December where they will look to confirm their place at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
The Asian Games are considered the largest sporting event on the Asian continent and the second largest global event after the Summer Olympics. More than 12,000 male and female athletes are currently competing, representing 45 Asian countries in 40 sports.
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