Sunday 06 / September / 2026
Omani sprinter Ali Anwar Al Balushi shone bright as he led a historic night for local athletes by capturing a thrilling victory in the men’s 100m race at the inaugural Oman Athletics Grand Prix 2026 on Saturday night. Held at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex in Muscat, the event served as a World Athletics Continental Tour Bronze series meeting.
The competition brought together around 300 elite international athletes representing 40 countries, turning the capital city into a vibrant hub for global track and field.
Running in front of an enthusiastic home crowd, Al Balushi delivered a dominant performance to claim the gold medal as he matched his personal best of 10.07 seconds. The 24-year-old had registered his PB at a meet in Czech Republic on July 11.
On Saturday, Al Balushi narrowly edged out Brandon Hicklin of the United States, who took the silver medal in 10.11 seconds, while Oman’s own Mulham Al Balushi secured the bronze medal with a time of 10.18 seconds.
Oman’s Fatik Yakoob won the men’s high jump with a clearance of 2.16m and Salem Rawahili got the third gold for the Sultanate in the men’s triple jump with a leap of 15.15m
In the individual sprints, international flair was also highlighted by Liranyi Alonso of the Dominican Republic winning the women's 100m in a time of 11.14 seconds.
In the men’s 400m Suleiman Abdulrahman of the UAE claimed victory out of a tight pack, crossing the line ahead of top contenders like Hossam Hatib and Fuga Sato.
Meanwhile, the women’s 400m was dominated by the United Arab Emirates as Mariam Kareem took the gold medal with a blazing time of 52.15 seconds, closely followed on the podium by Aminat Kamarudeen.
In the field events, technical excellence was on display under the stadium floodlights.
The women’s high jump event concluded with a home victory for Oman's Alia Al Mugheri, who captured the gold medal by clearing 1.73m. She outperformed Iraq's Maryam Abdulelah, who cleared 1.70m for silver, and Iran's Asal Golmali, who cleared 1.65m for the bronze.
The men’s shot put final drew strong regional contenders, featuring top power-throwers like Djibrine Ahmat of Qatar and Yousef Bakhit of Egypt pushing the competitive limits. Bakhit won the gold in 18.99m while Ahmat came second with 18.55.
The meeting concluded with highly anticipated team relays. In the men’s 4x100m relay, the Malaysian A produced a spectacular performance, clocking a winning time of 39.18 seconds to claim the gold. The Oman A finished second with a time of 40.38 seconds, followed by Malaysia's B for the bronze in 41.29 seconds.
In the women’s 4x100m relay, the Sharjah Women's Club powered to a first-place finish in 46.07 seconds, leaving Kuwait with the silver medal at 49.81 seconds and the Abu Dhabi Club with the bronze at 51.19 seconds.
Overall, Oman came out on top with four gold, one silver and one bronze.
Organised by the Oman Athletics Association, the inaugural Oman Grand Prix successfully showcased 23 distinct disciplines.
