RIYADH: Sulaiman Hamad became the latest Saudi athlete to book his ticket for the Tokyo Olympics when he secured a spot in the forthcoming games’ judo competition.
The Saudi national team and Al-Wahda Judo Club member, competing in the 73 kg weight class at the World Judo Championships Senior Hungary 2021, on Tuesday racked up 320 points to bring his final total points to 808, confirming him among the top 16 players in the world.
It will be the second time Hamad represents Saudi Arabia at the Olympics, having taken part at the 2016 Rio Games in the 66 kg category as a wild card.
In Budapest, he managed to defeat Samoan champion William Tai Tin in the round of 64 and Victor Sterpu of Moldova in the round of 32, before losing to Uzbekistan’s Tureav Khikmatillokh, the fourth seed in the tournament, in the round of 16.
He achieved the highest score among the Saudi team’s participants after colleague Abdulaziz Al-Bishi, another Al-Wahda player, was eliminated from the round of 64 by the German Sebastian Seidl.
The tournament concludes on June 13.
