4 days ago
Oman athletes shine at FISU Games
MUSCAT: Oman's beach volleyball team made a strong impression at the Rhine-Ruhr 2025 FISU World University Games as the men's duo of Yousef al Abri and Al Yaqdhan al Saadi concluded their journey in the Round of 16. The global multi-sport event, hosted in Germany, featured top university athletes from around the world competing at elite levels.
The Omani pair faced off in the knockout stage against Lithuania's strong duo Danielius Cumakas and Karolis Paubinskas. Despite a spirited performance, the Omani team suffered a 2-1 defeat. The Lithuanian side took the opening set 21-17, but al Abri and Al Saadi showed remarkable resilience by claiming the second set 21-13. The decisive third set saw the Lithuanian duo regaining control and sealing their victory with a 15-13 scoreline, thus ending Oman's impressive run in the tournament.
Oman's campaign began with a thrilling group stage encounter in group D against world leaders Australia, represented by Jed Walker and Oliver Merritt. Despite falling behind in the first set by 21-15, the Omani team made a strong comeback in the second set to win 21-18. In a nail-biting decider, the Australian pair narrowly edged past with a 15-13 victory.
Part of Oman's beach volleyball participation at FISU World University Games
In their second group stage match, Oman's al Abri and al Saadi bounced back in style by defeating Hungary's Boldizsar Borbely and Domonkos Doczi. Both sets were closely contested, but the Omani duo held their nerve to win 21-19 in both sets, securing a key victory in their qualification campaign. The final group stage match saw Oman secured their place in the Round of 16 with a default win over Moldova's pair Maxim Korsakov and Egor Dobcis, who withdrew from the competition.
In athletics, Oman also recorded a significant milestone through sprinter Mohammed bin Hamdan al Suleimani in the men's 800m event. Competing in heat 4 of the opening round, al Suleimani clocked a season best time of 1:49.34, finishing fourth and advancing to the semifinals. His performance marked a promising step forward for Omani athletics at the university level.
Oman's participation in the Rhine-Ruhr 2025 Games was represented by Oman University Sports Committee (OUSC) and it led by its chairman Dr Salim al Oraimi. The event provided a valuable platform for the Sultanate of Oman's student athletes who managed to gain international experience and compete among the best in the world. Oman's athletes delegation took part in different sports discipline including: table tennis, swimming and Taekwondo.
