The moment of glory is approaching for Qatari athlete Mutaz Barshim, who is in search of his first Olympic gold medal in high jump, after establishing himself as a standout in this sport. Barshim (30 years old) is set to compete in the high jump final on Sunday, having won gold medals at the World Championships in 2017 and 2019, in addition to a bronze medal at the London 2012 Olympics and a silver at Rio 2016.
Barshim, who achieved the second-highest jump in history (2.43 meters) in 2014, successfully completed three attempts in the first round without any failures at heights of 2.21 m, then 2.25 m, and finally 2.28 m, noting that the final round starts from a height of 2.19 m. Barshim discussed his sporadic participation this season, stating, "I'm trying to avoid injuries. I've faced injuries in the last two years, and it hasn't been enjoyable. I'm trying to handle it wisely, training more and competing less." Regarding his readiness to win the title similar to the Doha World Championships in 2019, he said, "I believe it's the same. I'm ready to do what's needed to win."
Born in Qatar to Sudanese migrants, Barshim has prior experience competing on the Olympic stage, having tied for first place with Japan's Naoto Tobi (2.30 m) during a trial event in May. He remarked in 2020, "The pressure to win a medal can never be greater than what I felt when I sustained an injury that could have ended my career."
### Samba Aiming for the Finals
In the semi-finals of the 400m hurdles, Qatari Abdulrahman Samba, who won a bronze at the 2019 World Championships, is set to compete against Norwegian star Karsten Warholm and American Rai Benjamin. Samba topped his group and qualified for the semi-finals, clocking the fastest time in the first round at 48.38 seconds. When asked if breaking the world record is necessary to win a gold medal, Samba responded, "We're here for the medal, not the world record." On the absence of fans due to restrictions, he added, "It's really, really tough without the fans. I truly miss the audience."
Algerian Abdelmalek Lahlou, who finished third in the first round (48.83 seconds), will also compete in the semi-final. In the semi-final of the 800m, Moroccan Abdelati Agdhlal, who recorded the fourth-fastest time in the first round (1:44.84), will run alongside his compatriot Osama Nabil (1:45.64) and Tunisian Abdeslam Ayouni (1:45.73).
In the women's 3000m steeplechase, Bahraini Wynfred Yafi (21 years old), who finished fourth at the Doha World Championships 2019, will participate alongside Tunisian Marwa Bouziani. In the first round of the 400m, Saudi Mazen Al-Yaseen, Sudanese Sadam Suleiman, and Yemeni Ahmad Al-Yari will compete.
### Arab Showdown in Handball
After securing a spot in the quarter-finals with a remarkable win over Sweden, the Egyptian national team faces Bahrain, which is clinging to hopes of qualification. Denmark (the world champion with 8 points), Egypt, and Sweden (7 points) have confirmed their places from Group B, while Portugal and Bahrain have 2 points each. Notably, four teams will reach the quarter-finals, while host Japan has been eliminated after four consecutive losses.
Following elimination from volleyball due to four straight losses, the Tunisia men’s team faces a challenging but honorable match against the leaders, Russia. In table tennis, Egypt plays against Romania in the women's team round of 16 and against China in the men's team round of 16.
In Greco-Roman wrestling, Algerian Fredj Abdel Kareem competes in the quarter-finals of the 60kg category against Japanese Kenichiro Fumita, while Egyptian Haitham Mahmoud faces Russian Sergey Emelin. In the quarter-finals of the 130kg category, Egyptian Abdel Latif Mohamed wrestles against Russian Sergey Semyonov, and Tunisian Amin Qnishi faces Chilean Yasmani Acosta Fernandez. In freestyle wrestling, Egyptian Samar Hamza competes in the quarter-finals of the 76kg category against Russian Natalia Vorobieva, while Tunisian Zeineb Sghir wrestles against American Adeline Maria Gray.
