Algerian Dominance Shines in the 15th Edition of the Arab Games: Leading the Medal Standings
BY: Hana Saada
ALGIERS- In the second day of the Algeria-2023 Arab Sports Games (July 5-15), Algerian athletes have already secured a total of 31 medals (14 gold, 8 silver, 9 bronze), in athletics, judo, and swimming events.
Athlete Souhil Abderrahmane Aloui kicked off the day by winning Algeria’s first gold medal in the 20 km walk event. Aloui, representing Sarab Batna, completed the distance in 1h31:52, ahead of his compatriot Abdennour Ameur (1h36:17), while Emirati athlete Nouaïm Echaâli claimed the third spot on the podium (1h43:33).
Algeria’ success in athletics continued later in the day at the Miloud Hadefi Olympic Stadium in Oran, where five more gold medals were secured. Afaf Ben Hadja triumphed in the heptathlon, Nabila Bounab in the discus throw, Darina Rezik in the high jump, Amine Bouanani in the 110m hurdles, and Hichem Bouchicha in the 3000m steeplechase.
In addition to these six gold medals, Algerian athletes also won 4 silver medals and 2 bronze medals in athletics.
Similarly, Algerian judo athletes made their mark by claiming 4 gold medals. Yamina Halata (-57kg), Amina Belkadi (-63kg), Wail Ezzine (-66kg), and Messouad Dris (-73kg) all stood atop the podium. Houaria Kaddour (-48kg) and Faïza Aïssahine (-52kg) added two silver medals to the country’s tally.
“We are satisfied with the results achieved by our athletes on this first day of competition. Our only disappointment was perhaps Faïza Aïssahine missing out on the gold by a whisker due to an avoidable mistake. I hope she will learn the necessary lessons from it and bounce back stronger in the future, especially with the African Championships just around the corner,” stated Abdelmalek Aït Mouffok, the National Technical Director of the Algerian Judo Federation (FAJ), in an interview with APS.
In swimming, Algeria secured 2 gold medals, 3 silver medals, and 3 bronze medals. Hamida Rania Nefsi clinched the first gold medal for Algeria in the 400m individual medley, completing the distance in 5 minutes and 33 seconds. Her compatriot Imene Kawter Zitouni secured second place with a time of 5 minutes and 4.65 seconds, while Tunisian swimmer Habiba Belghit finished third (5 minutes, 21 seconds, and 47 centiseconds).
The Algerian men’s team also claimed a vermeil medal in the 4x100m freestyle relay, finishing with a time of 3 minutes and 27.13 seconds, ahead of Jordan (3 minutes and 28.03 seconds) and Tunisia (3 minutes and 31.62 seconds). Additionally, Algeria won 3 silver medals and 3 bronze medals in swimming.
With this impressive performance, Algeria currently leads the medal standings with a total of 31 medals (14 gold, 8 silver, 9 bronze), followed by Bahrain (7 gold, 3 silver, 5 bronze) and Qatar (3 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze).
The 2023 Arab Sports Games will proceed with various competitions taking place this Thursday. These include tournaments for handball, volleyball, boules, badminton, and handi-basketball, along with the ongoing swimming, judo, and athletics events.
