The United Arab Emirates celebrated its first medal at the Asian Games Aichi–Nagoya 2026, courtesy of Sulaiman Abdulrahman’s impressive effort in the men’s 400m final. Abdulrahman clocked a time of 44.99 seconds, finishing just 0.09 seconds behind Thailand’s Joshua Atkinson, who secured gold with a time of 44.90 seconds. UAE athlete Emmanuel Bamidele also participated in the high-stakes final, recording a time of 45.97 seconds.
Key UAE officials were present at the event to support the national squad, including Faris Mohammed Al Mutawa, Secretary General of the UAE Olympic Committee, and board members Noura Al Jasmi and Major General Dr. Mohammed Abdullah Al Murr. The Athletics Federation President, Dr. Al Murr, expressed his pride in the achievement, noting that the silver medal feels as prestigious as gold given the narrow margin and the elite level of competition. They followed the race and supported the UAE athletes throughout the competition.
Dr. Al Murr extended his congratulations to the nation’s leadership, including UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, as well as the Olympic Committee hierarchy, for their ongoing commitment to national sports development. He praised Abdulrahman’s performance as a standard-setter for how UAE athletics should be represented on the global and continental stage.
Elsewhere in the games, India’s kabaddi squads demonstrated their dominance by securing double gold. The men’s team defeated Iran 40-34 in a high-intensity final at the Tokai Citizen Gymnasium, while the women’s team also triumphed over Iran with a score of 37-34, marking their fourth Asian Games title in the sport. The Indian men’s backed the women’s gold medal with their own yellow metal as they defeated a strong Iranian side 40-34 in a thrilling final at the Tokai Citizen Gymnasium here in Tokai. The Indian team clinched their fourth Kabaddi gold in the history of the Asian Games with a 37-34 win over 2018 champions Iran.
Weightlifting continued to produce spectacular results with six new world records, bringing the competition’s four-day total to 15. North Korea’s Ri Won Ju captured the men’s 70kg gold with a total lift of 349kg, including a world-record 198kg clean and jerk. Indonesia’s Rahmat Erawan Abdullah defended his 75kg title by setting world records in both the clean and jerk (206kg) and total (366kg) categories. Additionally, North Korea’s Ri Chong Song established a world record in the snatch with 162kg on his way to bronze in the 81kg division. Japan’s Masanori Miyamoto took silver despite setting a new snatch record of 154kg.
On the track, Bahrain’s Salwa Naser dominated the women’s 400m final under rainy conditions, setting a new Asian Games record of 49.20 seconds. Iran’s Zahra Zarei Manoujan secured silver in 53.38 seconds, while India’s Prachi Choudary rounded out the top three.
A notable highlight of the games featured 11-year-old esports prodigy Yuki Kurihara. The Japanese student claimed gold in a puzzle video game title, outperforming opponents significantly older than himself. Reflecting on his victory, Kurihara admitted to feeling somewhat embarrassed during the intense focus of the match. He remarked that the gold medal was both beautiful and notably heavy, serving as a memorable reward for his performance as China surpassed the 100-gold medal threshold in the overall standings. Japan schoolboy wins gold: Eel-loving schoolboy Yuki Kurihara, 11, won an gold medal as China powered past the 100-gold medal mark in the continental showpiece event. According to “To be completely honest, I felt a bit embarrassed, so I couldn’t really show my expressions or change my face much,” Kurihara, After blowing away a series of opponents, some three times his age. According to kurihara, who, He eats well to prepare for contests, bowed slightly as he received his gold medal and gave a small wave.
