HANGZHOU, China: Saudi Arabian Abdulmalik Almurdhi collected the Kingdom’s seventh medal at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou after defeating his Jordanian opponent at jiu-jitsu on Thursday.
Almurdhi took the bronze in the under-62 kg weight category after beating Jordan’s Khalil Alarnaut, a media statement reported.
Saudi Arabia’s medal count has now gone up to seven: three golds, two silvers, and two bronze medals.
Osama Qandeel was eliminated in the round of 16 in the under-69 kg weight category at jiu-jitsu after losing against his Kazakh contender 9-0.
Meanwhile, the Kingdom’s weightlifter Ali Al-Khazal finished in first place in Group Two of the men’s 109 kg competition on Thursday. He lifted 155 kg in the snatch and 180 kg in the clean and jerk, recording a total of 335 kg.
Those in Group One of the competition are in action on Friday.
Saudi Sultan Al-Zahrani lost in the quarterfinals 5-2 against Malaysian Sharmendran Raghonathan at karate as he was eliminated from the competition in the under-75 kg category.
He had qualified for the contest by defeating Palestinian Anas Bshara 4-0 in the round of 16.
In the women’s individual kata competition, Saudi Manal Al-Zaid finished in sixth place.
Athlete Mohammed Shaween bowed out of the hunt for marathon glory after picking up a muscle injury.
Jiu-jitsu bronze makes it 7 medals for Saudi Arabia at Asian Games
https://arab.news/necz6
Jiu-jitsu bronze makes it 7 medals for Saudi Arabia at Asian Games
- Abdulmalik Almurdhi defeats Jordanian opponent
- Weightlifter Ali Al-Khazal finishes in first place in Group Two of men’s 109 kg category
Rhodes leads after second round of PIF Saudi Ladies International
- 2025 LET Rookie of the Year leads in PIF Global Series 2026 opener
- WiMENA panels gather trailblazing women to spark dialogue
RIYADH: England’s Mimi Rhodes backed up a stellar opening in round two of the PIF Saudi Ladies International at Riyadh Golf Club, moving into an outright lead and fending off advances from South Africa’s Casandra Alexander and Chizzy Iwai of Japan.
The 24-year-old, who was the Ladies European Tour’s 2025 Rookie of the Year, posted a score of 69 to move to an overall total of 11-under-par to lead by one.
Another former LET Rookie of the Year, Spain’s Carlota Ciganda, who now has 12 professional wins, sits one shot further back in tied fourth alongside Japan’s Rio Takeda. Eight players are tied for sixth and England’s Charley Hull lies four back from her compatriot alongside past champion Patty Tavatanakit.
Reflecting on her mindset, and how she has approached the week so far, Rhodes said: “Honestly, I was so excited. Having two months off competitive golf, it’s so long, but I just got back into the swing of things.
“Holing putts is my main goal out there and having the greens rolling really nicely is definitely an advantage for that. I’m just taking it chilled out there and being patient.
“I wasn’t putting too much pressure on myself, but obviously it’s a big event, one of the PIF Global Series, so I wanted to do well, and start with a cut made. I’ve done more than that. I think I can be proud of myself and now (I will) just see what happens. I’m happy.”
The second day of the event highlighted Golf Saudi’s investment in the future of women’s sport with the WiMENA (Women in Middle East and North Africa) panels, which included pioneering Saudi athletes such as Kariman Abuljadayel, the trailblazing sprinter who set a Guinness World Record for the 10 km open water row. Joining her were Razan Al-Ajmi, Saudi Arabia's first female skydiver, members of the Saudi national rugby team and other prominent Olympians and sports figures.
Ameera Marghalani, a pioneering female Saudi rugby national team member, said: “I want to see the support for sports grow exponentially across the country.
“My vision is to see more young girls and women joining the sporting community, not just in major cities but across every corner of Saudi Arabia.”
