Expectations are rising for Arab athletes at the upcoming Paris Olympics.
Arab male athletes won a total of 14 medals at Tokyo 2020 and there is a chance they can win more this time around.
Here are five Arab men to watch in Paris in 2024.
Jamel Sejati (Algeria) – Athletics
Algeria's Djamel Secati heads to Paris in hot form, determined not only to win gold but also to break David Rudisha's 12-year-old 800m world record.
The 25-year-old Sejati ran 1:41.56 in the 800m at the Paris Diamond Ligue three weeks ago, ranking him third and fourth on the all-time list, before improving his personal best to 1:41.46 in Monaco five days later.
Rudisha set a world record of 1:40.91 at the 2012 London Olympics and Sejati is determined to match the Kenyan's record at these Olympics.
“I want to thank everyone, especially my family and my coach. This is the fourth time I have been world leader and the second time for Algeria. I worked really hard for it,” Sejati said recently in Monaco.
“I'm thinking about the world record right now. I hope to run at the Olympics. I have two weeks left to prepare. I'll focus on that and put in the effort I need to achieve my goal.
“I will keep preparing. I have the mindset that the hard work I put in will be rewarded.”
Cecati's performance in Monaco saw him set new national records, world records, Diamond League records, meet records and personal bests.
Can he do better in Paris?
The men's 800m preliminaries begin on August 7, with the semifinals and final on August 9 and 10.
Ahmad Abu Al-Soud (Jordan) – Gymnastics
In 2022, Jordan's Ahmad Abu Alsoud became the first Arab to reach the podium at the World Championships when he won silver in the pommel horse event in Liverpool.
A back injury halted her momentum, but she returned the following year to claim another World Championships medal, this time taking bronze.
He won three of four gold medals in the 2024 World Cup series, earning his ticket to Paris and becoming Jordan's first-ever Olympic qualifier.
With a move named after him in the FIG points code, 29-year-old Abu Alsoud heads to Paris as the world number one pommel horse and a strong contender for Olympic gold.
The men's gymnastics preliminaries begin on July 27 at the Bercy Arena, with the pommel horse finals scheduled for August 3.
Ramzi Boukhiam (Morocco) – Surfing
Ramzi Boukiam, the first Moroccan and Arab surfer to qualify for the World Surf League Championship Tour, will compete in his second Olympics after the 2020 Tokyo Games, where surfing made its debut.
The 2024 Olympic surfing competition will take place in Tahiti, where 24 men and 24 women will tackle the majestic and fearsome Tiahupo'o Wave.
Tagsout, wake up!
Ramzi Boukiam kept his Moroccan opponents on their toes and held his ground against the technical Tiahufoao foam ball to beat Kelly Slater and reach the semi-finals!@Shiseido_USA #tahitipro @outerknownlive pic.twitter.com/aEOlRy8SEx
— World Surf League (@wsl) May 30, 2024
Boukhiam finished ninth in his Olympic debut in Tokyo, but Teahupo'o is a much better fit for his style of surfing, and the 30-year-old can take some confidence from the fact that he finished third in the same spot at the Tahiti Pro just two months ago on the Championship Tour.
“I now have a second chance. I’m going to Tahiti to ride waves like Teahupo’o. It’s the most dangerous wave on the planet, but it’s the most perfect wave,” Boukiam, who was Morocco’s flag bearer at Tokyo 2020, recently told the Abtal podcast.
“As a surfer, there's nothing better than that. It's scary but also really exciting, and if you can catch a good wave, I think it can be an amazing, amazing event.”
Bukiam secured his spot in the 2024 Olympics by winning a silver medal at the ISA World Surfing Games in Puerto Rico in March.
The Olympic surfing competition begins in Tahiti on July 27 and runs through July 31.
Mutaz Barsim (Qatar) – Athletics
Qatar's Mutaz Barsim won bronze in London (upgraded to silver nine years later), silver in Rio and gold in Tokyo.
Barsim has raised the bar higher and higher with each Olympic appearance, and the star high jumper is now ready to take her final leap.
“I think I’ve been here for quite some time, done everything, seen everything, and at this moment in time it would be selfish to spend more time with my family and loved ones,” the 33-year-old Barsim told FloTrack this week after announcing that Paris would be his last Olympics.
“I want to be there for my family too. Everyone has been there for me throughout my career. I've been a pro since 2011, so it's been a long time, and I'm really happy and honored for everything we've accomplished together, but I feel like it's time to give back. It's time to give back to my family.”
Barsim provided one of the most iconic moments of the Tokyo Olympics when he decided to share the gold medal with Italian rival and friend Gianmarco Tamberi rather than break the tie via jump-off.
Both overcame career-threatening injuries ahead of the Tokyo Olympics and both felt they deserved medals.
Mutaz Barsim and Gianmarco Tamberi tied for first place in the men's high jump at Tokyo 2020.
Vote for your favorite Olympic Magic Moment for a chance to win a trip. #Paris2024. Regional restrictions on voting may apply. https://t.co/aGWb0MJuy2#Coca Cola pic.twitter.com/fJIlpODmkq
— Olympic Games (@Olympics) July 2, 2024
Barsim and Tamberi said that if they were in the same situation in Paris, there would be no sharing.
The men's high jump preliminaries for the Paris Olympics will take place at the Stade de France on August 7, with the final scheduled for August 10.
Yahya Omar (Egypt) – Handball
Yahya Omar will be a Parisian for the next three years but will be looking to help Egypt win their first handball medal at the Olympics before making his debut for new club Paris Saint-Germain.
Egypt came close to making the podium at Tokyo 2020, finishing fourth after losing to Spain in the bronze medal match. It was the first time an African team had made it that far in Olympic handball.
The 26-year-old right-back was a key member of the Olympic squad, which earned him a spot in the Tokyo 2020 All-Star Team – the first non-European to achieve this feat since 1992.
Egypt will face tough competition in Paris, where they are drawn in a group with hosts and defending champions France, former world champions Denmark, Norway, Hungary and Argentina.
“It's the Olympics. Nothing is easy. I think we're in a more difficult group, but I think we have a better chance of making it to the semifinals,” Omar said when the draw was revealed.
Pharaoh begins war against Hungary on July 27.
