22-05-2025
Triumphant return of gymnastics team from West Asia
AMMAN: The artistic gymnastics team for youth, juniors and girls returned home after concluding its successful participation in the West Asian Gymnastics Championship, which was held in the Jordanian capital Amman, during which Kuwait's heroes and heroines won 32 medals, 17 gold, 6 silver and 9 bronze, in a new achievement for Kuwait gymnastics.
The delegation received a distinguished reception at Kuwait International Airport, led by the President of the Arab and Kuwait Gymnastics Federations, Fahad Al-Soula, the Secretary of Kuwait Federation, Abdullatif Murad, and board member and head of the women's committee, Hessa Al-Sanea, in addition to the parents of the athletes, who decorated them with bouquets of flowers upon their arrival to celebrate this outstanding achievement.
Al-Soula expressed his great pride in the results achieved by Kuwait's heroes and heroines, praising the efforts and generosity of the players and all members of the technical and administrative staff of the national teams. He dedicated this achievement to the political leadership and Kuwait sports family, praising the support of the Public Authority for Sport and the Kuwait Olympic Committee and their keenness to overcome any difficulties facing the national teams.
For his part, Abdullatif Murad praised this achievement, which came as a culmination of great efforts exerted by the players throughout the preparation phase of the tournament, stressing that Kuwait's heroes and heroines were all up to the responsibility in this important merit despite their young age.
The Secretary of the Federation congratulated the players and their parents on this wonderful achievement, adding that the parents of the players are partners of success and deserve to be saluted and honored for their support of the Federation and their support and encouragement of their children.
Murad said that the federation still suffers from the lack of capabilities and components on which the game is based, as it does not yet have a gymnastics hall or modern equipment to help players develop their level, explaining that the federation relies on foreign camps in countries that are advanced in the sport of gymnastics.
Murad stated that the Federation has been trying for 4 years to provide a hall to hold local competitions and train the artistic, rhythmic gymnastics teams, but all attempts have not yielded results, hoping that the Public Authority for sport will find a quick solution to this issue, which burdens the work of the Federation despite the fact that the sport of gymnastics has made many achievements in the name of Kuwait in the past period and with exceptional efforts from the members of the game.
For her part, Hessa Al-Sanea congratulated the Kuwaiti delegation participating in the West Asian Championship, adding that it is the first time that Kuwaiti players participate in an official artistic gymnastics championship, adding that the players gained great confidence in themselves and showed a great level of challenge in this competition despite the strength of the competition from the participating teams.
Abdullah Behbehani, the star of the youth team, alone won 7 gold medals in the general individual category, pommel horse, floor exercise, table vault, parallel and heptathlon, while Behbehani participated with Mousa Al-Sahaf, Saud Al-Rudaini, Saud Al-Sanawi and Ali Abdul Hadi in achieving team gold (youth and junior mixed), while the team that included Al-Sahaf, Al-Rudaini, Al-Sanawi, Ali and Hussein Abdul Hadi won the gold in the junior category.
In the junior category, Al-Sahaf won gold in the pommel horse competition and silver in the general individual, while Al-Rudaini won three golds in the general individual, pommel horse and parallel, silver in the jumping table and bronze in the aqla, while Ali Abdulhadi won silver in the aqla.
In the girls' division, Fatima Al-Nama won two silvers in the balance beam and vaulting table and three bronzes in the general individual, floor exercise and parallel, in the U14 category, while Dana Ali won a gold in the floor exercise and a bronze in the vaulting table in the U12 category.
Nour Al Loughani won bronze in floor exercise and balance beam (in HP1), Nawal Al Zamil won gold in vault (in HP2), Sarah Al Qattan won gold in floor exercise (in HP2), and Shahahah Al Mulla won silver in floor exercise and bronze in parallel bars.
The team, which included Mariam Al Khalifa, Nawal Al Zamil, Sara Al Qattan, Shahah Al Mulla and Dalal Al Serafi, won gold in the HP1, HP2 and HP3 stages. It is worth mentioning that the tournament witnessed the participation of 7 countries: Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Syria, Lebanon and Palestine, in addition to Kuwait and host Jordan.
