Friday 19 / April / 2024
Muscat: For the second day in succession, Omani flag flew high at the Islamic Solidarity Games when marksman Ismail Al Abri won the silver medal in the 50-metre pistol shooting competition in Baku, Azerbaijan on Monday.
Ismail Al Abri’s silver was Oman’s second medal of the ongoing Games after fellow shooter Said Al Hashmi opened Oman’s medal account with 25-metre rapid fire pistol bronze on Sunday.
In fact, Monday proved to be a very satisfying day for the Sultanate’s contingent as the football team went to qualify for the semifinals after a 1-1 draw with Algeria in their final match of Group B.
In the shooting range, Ismail Al Abri maintained his composure and gave good competition to the eventual winner Yusuf Dikec of Turkey in the eight-man final.
But the Omani has to settle for silver after scoring a total of 220.8 points.
Yusuf Dikec, according to information posted on the Games official website, took gold with 223.0 points, claiming Turkey’s 21st gold medal of the Games.
The 44-year-old retired police officer fought off Oman’s Ismail Al Abri, who finished strong to trouble the eventual winner.
Mohammad Ahmadi of Iran moved into third place after six rounds and he managed to hold onto his standing to take the bronze medal with 200.9 points.
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Deserved draw
At the football arena, Hamad Al Azzani-coached Omanis played a cautious and calculated game to share the points with Algeria.
The 1-1 draw ensured both Algeria and Oman qualified for the semifinals, the former as Group B toppers with seven points and the latter as second placed team with five points.
For the record, Mohsin Al Ghassani opened Oman’s account in the 40th minute and Tayeb Meziani found the equaliser for Algeria in the 45th minute.
In another Group B match, Palestine’s hopes of making it to the last four were shattered by a battling Turkey team, who came back from a 1-3 half-time deficit to record a 4-3 victory.
Turkey and Palestine finished with three and one point respectively.
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After the match, Oman Olympic Committee (OOC) vice-chairman and delegation chief Shaikh Saif bin Hilal Al Hosni and OOC Secretary-General Taha Al Kishry, met the team and congratulated them for a good performance and reaching the semifinals.
They also urged them to come up with even better performance in the last four stage.
Tennis action
The Omani tennis players will be action from Tuesday when Younis Al Rawahi begins his campaign.
The Sultanate’s star Fatma Al Nabhani is scheduled to start her campaign on Wednesday. Fatma will be looking for another gold after winning the top honours in the 2013 Games held in Indonesia.
Oman taekwondo team, comprising Adel Al Wahibi (under-54kg) and Mohammed Al Mahrouqi (under-58 kg) will also be in action on Tuesday.
