UAE wins Asian Games silver in 400m as Sulaiman Abdulrahman misses gold by 0.09 seconds
Archers post strong scores across individual, team and mixed events
ABU DHABI – The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has secured its first medal at the Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 after Sulaiman Abdulrahman claimed silver in the men’s 400m final.
The UAE sprinter crossed the finish line in 44.99 seconds, finishing only 0.09 seconds behind Thailand’s Joshua Atkinson, who won gold in 44.90 seconds. Emmanuel Bamidele also featured in the final and finished in 45.97 seconds.
The closely fought race gave the UAE athletics team an early podium finish at the continental competition, with Abdulrahman producing a performance that placed him among the leading 400m runners in the field.
Narrow margin
Major General Dr Mohammed Abdullah Al Murr, President of the UAE Athletics Federation, congratulated Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, as well as the UAE leadership and people on the country’s first medal at the Asian Games.
Al Murr described the result as particularly significant given the extremely narrow gap between the top two finishers.
“For us, this silver feels like gold, given the high standard of the race and the extremely narrow margin to first place,” he said. “Sulaiman delivered an outstanding performance that reflects how we want UAE athletics to be represented on the continental and international stages.”
The federation president also highlighted the contribution of young athletes to the UAE’s growing athletics programme, saying their performances were strengthening confidence in the sport’s future.
He said investment in emerging talent remained central to developing athletes capable of competing for medals at continental and international level. According to Al Murr, the results reflect sustained work and continued investment in athletics, with the federation intending to build on the progress as it pursues further podium finishes.
The 400m final was attended by Faris Mohammed Al Mutawa, Secretary General of the UAE Olympic Committee; Noura Al Jasmi, Member of the Board of Directors of the UAE Olympic Committee; Major General Dr Mohammed Abdullah Al Murr, Member of the Board of Directors of the UAE Olympic Committee and President of the UAE Athletics Federation; and Jamila Abdulrahman, Member of the Board of Directors of the UAE Athletics Federation.
Equestrian progress
The UAE also secured two places in the individual dressage freestyle to music final, with Ali Khalfan Al Jahouri and Bianca Schütz qualifying among the top 15 combinations after the two qualifying rounds.
Al Jahouri, riding Lotus-S, posted 65.706% in the second qualifier, taking his aggregate score to 132.736. Schütz and Le Grand Ayden HB scored 66.059%, bringing their aggregate to 132.706.
Mohamed Jassim Al Serkal and Zen Liquidity registered 63.470% in the second qualifier, finishing with an aggregate of 127.235. Natalie Lankester and Tesla DXB recorded 61.824%, giving them an aggregate of 122.648.
Al Jahouri and Schütz will now compete in the individual freestyle final, becoming the first two UAE riders to qualify together for the individual freestyle final at a single edition of the Asian Games.
The UAE also recorded a series of results in archery across individual, team and mixed team competitions.
In the men’s individual recurve qualification, Khalifa Al Kaabi scored 643 points. Aisha Al Ali led the UAE women’s recurve competitors with 624 points, followed by Hessa Al Awadhi with 600 and Huda Al Ali with 539.
The women’s recurve trio of Aisha Al Ali, Hessa Al Awadhi and Huda Al Ali combined for 1,763 points in the team event.
In the women’s compound qualification, Amna Al Awadhi scored 691 points, Jumana Al Najjar 675 and Maitha Al Nuaimi 626, giving the UAE a combined 1,992 points.
The men’s compound team also posted a combined 1,978 points, with Abdullah Al Mansoori scoring 668, Sultan Al Menhali 665 and Yousuf Al Hosani 645.
The mixed team competitions produced further UAE combinations. Amna Al Awadhi and Abdullah Al Mansoori combined for 1,359 points in compound, while Khalifa Al Kaabi and Aisha Al Ali recorded 1,267 points in recurve.
Next events
The UAE’s Asian Games programme continues with athletes competing across shooting, athletics, fencing, equestrian, sailing and archery.
In shooting, Sheikh Mohammed bin Dalmook Al Maktoum and Yahya Suhail Al Muhairi will begin the opening day of men’s trap qualification, while Mariam Karim will compete in the women’s 400m hurdles qualifying round.
The UAE men’s épée team of Khalifa Al Zarooni, Hamdan Al Jahdhami, Mohammed Al Mazmi and Saleh Al Baloushi will contest the fencing team event.
In equestrian, Al Jahouri and Schütz will return for the individual dressage freestyle final. Abdullah Al Zubaidi and Marwa Al Hammadi will compete in the ILCA 4 class in sailing.
Archery will feature several knockout contests. The UAE men’s compound team of Abdullah Al Mansoori, Yousuf Al Hosani and Sultan Al Menhali will face India in the round of 16, while the women’s team of Jumana Al Najjar, Maitha Al Nuaimi and Amna Al Awadhi will meet South Korea.
Amna Al Awadhi and Abdullah Al Mansoori will take on China in the compound mixed team round of 16. Khalifa Al Kaabi and Aisha Al Ali will also compete in the recurve mixed team event.