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From Djamel Sedjati to Mutaz Barshim: Five Arab men to watch at the Paris Olympics

Algeria's Djamel Sedjati poses after the men's 800m event during the 'Wanda Diamond League' athletics meeting at the Louis II stadium in Monaco on July 12, 2024. (AFP)
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Updated 26 July 2024
Reem Abulleil
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From Djamel Sedjati to Mutaz Barshim: Five Arab men to watch at the Paris Olympics

  • Podium places possible in athletics, gymnastics, surfing, handball
  • Gold likely for Djamel Sedjati, Mutaz Barshim, Ahmad Abu Al-Soud
Updated 26 July 2024
Reem Abulleil

There is a lot to look forward to when it comes to Arab athletes at the upcoming Paris Olympics.

A total of 14 medals were won by Arab men in Tokyo 2020 and there is potential for more this time around.

Here are five Arab men to look out for in Paris 2024. 

Djamel Sedjati (Algeria) – Athletics

Algeria’s Djamel Sedjati heads to Paris in red-hot form, not only chasing gold but adamant on breaking David Rudisha’s 12-year-old world record in the 800 meters.

Within the last three weeks, the 25-year-old Sedjati ran the third- and fourth-fastest 800 meters of all time, going 1 minute, 41.56 seconds in the Diamond League stop in Paris, and then lowering his personal best to 1:41.46 five days later in Monaco.

Rudisha set the world record of 1:40.91 in London 2012 and Sedjati has every intention of emulating the Kenyan at this Olympics.

“I would like to thank everyone, especially my family and my coach. It’s the fourth time I run a world lead and the second time an Algerian record. I have worked really hard for that,” said Sedjati in Monaco recently.

“Now I am thinking of the world record, I hope to run it at the Olympic Games. I have two more weeks to prepare it. I will focus on that and put in the necessary work so that I can achieve my goal.

“I will keep the preparation the same. My mindset is that the hard work I have put in will pay off.”

Sedjati’s performance in Monaco saw him set a new national record, world lead, Diamond League record, meet record, and personal best.

Will he do even better in Paris?

The men’s 800-meter heats begin on Aug. 7, with the semifinals and finals on Aug. 9 and 10.

 

 

Ahmad Abu Al-Soud (Jordan) – Gymnastics

In Liverpool in 2022, Jordan’s Ahmad Abu Al-Soud clinched the silver medal in pommel horse to become the first Arab to make the podium at a World Championships.

Despite a lower-back injury slowing his momentum, he claimed another World Championship medal the following year, this time bronze.

He then went on to dominate the 2024 World Cup series (winning gold in three of the four) to punch his ticket to Paris and become the first Jordanian gymnast to qualify for the Olympics.

The 29-year-old Abu Al-Soud, who has a skill named after him in the FIG Code of Points, heads to Paris ranked No. 1 in the world for pommel horse and is a favorite for gold at the Olympics.

Men’s qualification in artistic gymnastics begins on July 27 at Bercy Arena, with the pommel horse final scheduled for Aug. 3.

 

 

Ramzi Boukhiam (Morocco) - Surfing

The first Moroccan or Arab surfer to qualify for the World Surf League’s Championship Tour, Ramzi Boukhiam is heading to his second Olympics, having competed in Tokyo 2020, when surfing made its debut.

The surfing competition of the 2024 Olympics will be staged in Tahiti, where 24 men and 24 women will take on the majestic and equally terrifying Teahupo’o Wave.

Boukhiam placed ninth on his Olympic debut in Tokyo but Teahupo’o is far better suited to his surfing style. And the 30-year-old can draw confidence from the fact he placed third at the very same spot, on the Championship Tour at the Tahiti Pro just two months ago.

“I have my second chance now, going to Tahiti, on a wave like Teahupo’o, it’s the most dangerous but the most perfect wave on the planet,” Boukhiam, who was Morocco’s flagbearer in Tokyo 2020, recently said on the podcast Abtal.

“As a surfer, it doesn’t get much better than that. You’re scared but super excited at the same time and I feel like if we could get good waves, it can be actually an amazing, amazing event.”

Boukhiam secured his place in the 2024 Olympics by clinching the silver medal at the ISA World Surfing Games in Puerto Rico in March.

The surfing competition at the Olympics kicks off in Tahiti on July 27 with action continuing through July 31.

 

Mutaz Barshim (Qatar) – Athletics

Qatar’s Mutaz Barshim won bronze in London (which got upgraded to silver nine years later), silver in Rio, and gold in Tokyo.

Barshim has been raising the bar higher and higher with each Olympic Games and the star high jumper is now ready to take the leap one last time.

“I feel like I’ve been here for quite some time, I’ve done everything, seen everything and I feel like at this point it would be selfish for me to take more time away from my family and loved ones,” the 33-year-old Barshim told FloTrack this week after announcing Paris would be his last Games.

“I want to be there for my family also. Everyone has been there for me all my career. I’ve been jumping professionally since 2011, so it’s a long time and I’m really glad and happy about everything that we accomplished together but I feel like it’s time now to give back. It’s time to give myself back to my family.”

Barshim provided one of the most iconic moments of the Tokyo Olympics when he and his Italian rival and friend Gianmarco Tamberi decided to share the gold medal instead of going through a jump-off to break their tie.

They had both overcome career-threatening injuries in the build-up to Tokyo and felt they both deserved to top the podium.

Barshim and Tamberi have said there would be no sharing if they find themselves in the same situation in Paris.

The men’s high jump qualification at the Paris Olympics will take place on Aug. 7 at Stade de France, with the final scheduled for Aug. 10.

Yahia Omar (Egypt) – Handball

He is going to be a Parisian for the next three years but before making his debut for new club Paris Saint-Germain, Yahia Omar will be looking to help Egypt secure their first handball medal at the Olympics.

The Egyptians came agonizingly close to making the podium in Tokyo 2020, finishing fourth after losing to Spain in the bronze-medal match. It was the first time an African team had made it that far in handball at the Olympics.

The 26-year-old right back was a key part of that Olympics squad, which earned him Tokyo 2020 All-star team honors — the first non-European since 1992 to achieve that feat.

Egypt have a daunting road ahead in Paris as they landed in the same group alongside hosts and defending champions France, reigning world champions Denmark, Norway, Hungary and Argentina.

“It’s the Olympics. There’s nothing easy. I think we have the harder group, but I think it gives us a better possibility to be in the semifinals,” said Omar when the draw was revealed.

The Pharaohs commence their campaign against Hungary on July 27.

 

 

Topics: Paris Olympics

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Amorim after his shocking claim about Man United: ‘I won’t promise I won’t do it again’

Updated 22 January 2025
AP
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Amorim after his shocking claim about Man United: ‘I won’t promise I won’t do it again’

  • “If you want, I can be delusional and say different things,” Amorim said
  • Amorim’s shocking comment came after a 3-1 home loss to Brighton in the Premier League on Sunday
Updated 22 January 2025
AP

MANCHESTER: Ruben Amorim has acknowledged he might have made a mistake when he went public in describing his team as “the worst, maybe, in the history of Manchester United.”
Just don’t expect him to hold back his opinions going forward.
“If you want, I can be delusional and say different things,” Amorim said Wednesday at his first news conference since his remark that captured headlines and widespread attention.
“I say it as I saw it. I said it to the players and I said to you,” he told reporters. “I think it’s a good thing to be honest. If you want me to say different things — you saw one thing, I saw one thing — I can start to do that. It’s easier for me. But what I’m seeing, they know. If you are in the stadium, you can understand. Let’s face it and work on it.”
Amorim’s shocking comment came after a 3-1 home loss to Brighton in the Premier League on Sunday.


It was a fourth loss in United’s last five home games in the league, and a seventh defeat in 15 games in all competitions since Amorim took charge in November as the replacement for Erik ten Hag.
United, the record 20-time English champion, are 13th in the 20-team Premier League and closer to the relegation zone than the European qualification spots after 22 of 38 games.
Amorim denied that he was shifting blame toward his players. The 39-year-old Portuguese coach said: “I am (most) responsible for the performances and the results.
“I am a young guy and sometimes I make a mistake. This time I needed to talk. Maybe it was a mistake and I get more nervous and go to the (media) conference really nervous, and then you say things you shouldn’t say … I won’t promise I won’t do it again but I will try to improve.”
Amorim was speaking ahead of United’s Europa League game against Scottish rival Rangers at Old Trafford on Thursday. He said his players were “more nervous” and “anxious” playing at home and that was making it harder for the team to pick up results.
“If you have a little inexperience when you fall into this type of context, it’s hard to go up — especially when you are in a massive club,” Amorim said.
“That was my only point in saying it after that loss. The way I do it? Maybe not but it is what it is. I am like that all the time.”

Topics: Man United Ruben Amorim English Premier League (EPL)

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Australian Open: Ben Shelton will face defending champion Jannik Sinner in the semifinals

Updated 22 January 2025
AP
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Australian Open: Ben Shelton will face defending champion Jannik Sinner in the semifinals

  • “I’m relieved,” said Shelton, who will meet No. 1 Jannik Sinner of Italy on Friday
  • Sinner looked and played much better than he did — hand trembling, head dizzy — during a four-set struggle against Holger Rune in the fourth round
Updated 22 January 2025
AP

MELBOURNE: Ben Shelton’s Australian Open quarterfinal foe, Lorenzo Sonego, produced the shot of the tournament — diving to his left for a volley with so much spin that the ball bounced on one side of the net, then floated back over to the other — but it was the American who ended up with the victory Wednesday.
The left-handed Shelton did some entertaining of his own, including earning cheers by doing a couple of push-ups after tumbling in the concluding tiebreaker, and he reached his second Grand Slam semifinal at age 22 by beating the unseeded Sonego 6-4, 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (4).
“I’m relieved,” said Shelton, who will meet No. 1 Jannik Sinner of Italy on Friday for a spot in the final. “Shout out Lorenzo Sonego because that was some ridiculous tennis.”
Sinner, the defending champion at Melbourne Park, completely overwhelmed the last Australian in the men’s bracket, No. 8 Alex de Minaur, 6-3, 6-2, 6-1 at night.
“It’s been too many times playing him and seeing the same thing. So I’m not even surprised anymore when I face him,” said de Minaur, who is now 0-10 against Sinner over their careers. “Matches like these happen.”
Sinner looked and played much better than he did — hand trembling, head dizzy — during a four-set struggle against Holger Rune in the fourth round. After giving himself a bit of a break on Tuesday, sleeping in and only hitting on court for about 30 or 40 minutes, Sinner said his body was much better.
“For sure, was (my) best match of the tournament so far,” said Sinner, who stretched his unbeaten winning streak to 19 matches dating back to last season.
Shelton, who is seeded 21st, closed the first set against Sonego with a 144 mph (232 kph) ace, tied for the fastest serve over the past 1 1/2 weeks, and flexed his left arm after smacking a powerful forehand to close a 22-stroke point and earn a break in the second. His father Bryan, a former tour pro who is Ben’s coach, grinned, too, while patting his own right biceps.
A few points from the end, Shelton sprinted to get his racket on a seemingly unreachable ball, and fell into a courtside advertising board as Sonego hit an easy winner to take the point.
Shelton stayed on the ground for a bit, then earned applause for his effort — and post-fall calisthenics.
When Shelton closed things with a 26th forehand winner — he had zero via backhands — he flexed again and sneered until his expression morphed into a smile.
At his news conference, Shelton offered some unprompted comments critical of some of the people handling on-court post-match interviews.
As good as Shelton is with his serves and forehands, his improving return game is a significant part of what carried him to the final four at the Australian Open for the first time.
He did just enough in that department, accumulating 11 break points and converting three, against Sonego, an Italian ranked 55th. Shelton entered the match coming through on 52 percent of his break chances, the highest rate among the eight men’s quarterfinalists.
Shelton lost to Novak Djokovic in the 2023 US Open semifinals.
The other semifinal will be Djokovic vs. No. 2 Alexander Zverev. Djokovic continued his pursuit of an 11th Australian Open title, and unprecedented 25th major trophy, by overcoming a leg injury and Carlos Alcaraz 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 in a quarterfinal that began Tuesday night and ended at nearly 1 a.m. on Wednesday.
The women’s semifinals Thursday night are No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, the tournament winner in each of the last two years, against No. 11 Paula Badosa, and No. 2 Iga Swiatek against No. 19 Madison Keys.
The crowd-pleasing factor was high for Shelton vs. Sonego, who never before had made it this far at a major.
Sonego went 67-for-90 on trips to the net, and his highlight-reel volley came at the outset of the second set. It was so remarkable that Shelton acknowledged the effort by offering a congratulatory handshake.
There was another terrific shot by Sonego in the fourth set, when he raced with his back to the net and spun to hit a hook shot of sorts that resulted in a winner.
It’s Shelton, though, who will get to keep playing in Melbourne this year.

Topics: Australian Open Ben Shelton Jannik Sinner

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Lewis Hamilton waves to fans as he drives a Ferrari F1 car for the first time

Updated 22 January 2025
AP
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Lewis Hamilton waves to fans as he drives a Ferrari F1 car for the first time

  • Hamilton was behind the wheel of a 2023-specification Ferrari SF-23 bearing his racing number, 44, at the team’s Fiorano test track
  • The 40-year-old British driver set out for his first lap at 9:16 a.m. local time in light fog and twice waved to a crowd of around 1,000 spectators
Updated 22 January 2025
AP

MODENA, Italy: Lewis Hamilton greeted a crowd of waiting fans on Wednesday as he drove a Ferrari Formula 1 car for the first time since joining the Italian team for the 2025 season.
Hamilton was behind the wheel of a 2023-specification Ferrari SF-23 bearing his racing number, 44, at the team’s Fiorano test track, and wore a new helmet design in yellow with a prominent Prancing Horse logo.
The 40-year-old British driver set out for his first lap at 9:16 a.m. local time in light fog and twice waved to a crowd of around 1,000 spectators, who had gathered on a nearby bridge despite the cold and wet weather.
Part-way through the day, Hamilton headed over to fans who had waited for hours in the wet conditions since early morning for a glimpse of him behind the wheel. Wearing a jacket in Ferrari red, he waved, gave a thumbs-up gesture and put a hand to his heart.
There was excitement Wednesday from one of Italy’s biggest sports stars, too.
After reaching the semifinals at the Australian Open, top-ranked tennis player Jannik Sinner was asked by an Italian reporter if he had seen anything on social media about Hamilton’s Ferrari debut.
“It’s still pretty strange to see him in red,” Sinner said, “but it’ll be a great season.”
Hamilton has shaken up F1 with his move to Ferrari after 12 years with Mercedes, where he won six of his seven world titles. He has said he’s fulfilling a childhood dream.
“I’ve been lucky enough to have achieved things in my career I never thought possible, but part of me has always held on to that dream of racing in red. I couldn’t be happier to realize that dream today,” he said Monday after arriving at Ferrari’s Maranello headquarters for his first day at work with the new team.
F1 tightly restricts teams from testing current-specification cars but the rules are more loose for older cars like the SF-23 that Hamilton drove Wednesday. The F1 regulations for 2025 allow Hamilton to drive up to 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) over four days in older F1 cars under the “testing of previous cars” rule. The SF-23 is the most recent Ferrari that’s eligible.
Pre-season testing for the new season’s cars is from Feb. 26 through 28 in Bahrain.

Topics: Lewis Hamilton Ferrari Formula 1

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India win toss and bowl first against England in first T20 as fit-again Shami left out

Updated 22 January 2025
AP
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India win toss and bowl first against England in first T20 as fit-again Shami left out

  • India is the reigning world champion at the T20 format
Updated 22 January 2025
AP

KOLKATA: India won the toss and chose to bowl first in the series-opening T20 against England’s cricketers in Kolkata on Wednesday.
Mohammed Shami missed out for India despite the fast bowler being available after more than a year on the sidelines.
India is the reigning world champion at the T20 format.
It is Brendon McCullum’s first white-ball match since becoming England’s all-format coach.
Teams:
India: Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Azar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakravarthy.
England: Phil Salt, Ben Duckett, Jos Buttler, Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Jacob Bethell, Jamie Overton, Gus Atkinson, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood.

Topics: India Mohammed Shami T20 England

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Struggling Dortmund sack coach Sahin after four-game losing run in 2025

Updated 22 January 2025
Reuters
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Struggling Dortmund sack coach Sahin after four-game losing run in 2025

  • “Borussia Dortmund have released head coach Nuri Sahin with immediate effect,” said the club
  • Dortmund said current Under-19 coach Mike Tullberg would be in charge
Updated 22 January 2025
Reuters

BERLIN: Borussia Dortmund have fired coach Nuri Sahin, the German soccer club said on Wednesday, after Tuesday’s shock 2-1 loss to Bologna in the Champions League that stretched their losing run to four games across all competitions.
“Borussia Dortmund have released head coach Nuri Sahin with immediate effect following an internal analysis of recent sporting developments,” said the club in a statement.
The Ruhr valley club, last year’s Champions League finalists, conceded two goals in two minutes in the second half against the Italians after taking a 15th minute lead.
They have also lost all three league matches in 2025, dropping down to 10th place in the Bundesliga and putting their participation next season in Europe’s premier club competition at risk.
“After four defeats in a row and only one win from the last nine games ... we have unfortunately lost faith in being able to achieve our sporting goals in the current constellation,” Dortmund managing director Lars Ricken said in the statement.


“This decision also hurts me personally, but it was no longer avoidable after the game in Bologna.”
Dortmund said current Under-19 coach Mike Tullberg would be in charge for their league game against Werder Bremen on Saturday.
Sahin, 36, leaves the club just a little over half a year after being appointed to replace Edin Terzic as the new coach.
The German-born former Türkiye international was a former youth and senior player at the club. He became an assistant coach at Dortmund in 2024 after a two-year coaching spell at Türkiye’s Antalyaspor. He had signed a contract to 2027.

Topics: Borussia Dortmund Nuri Sahin Bundesliga

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