Sudan's Gold Gleams in Morocco| Sudanow Magazine

Portsudan, (Sudanow)--- In a remarkable athletic achievement, and despite the difficult circumstances facing the country, Sudan's champions have won gold medals and been crowned champions at the 4th Arab Swimming Championship in Casablanca, Morocco. The event took place from August 28 to September 1, with 19 countries and more than 200 male and female swimmers participating. The Sudanese team was led by the highly-regarded Olympic coach Muhammad El-Sabir, and the swimmers included Ziad Salim, Yousif Muhammad Yousif, Adam Ahmad Yaqoub, and Lina Salah El-Din. Abu Bakr Abbas Jalab was absent from the competition.

Champion Ziad Salim continued his streak of winning gold medals, which he has done in two consecutive Arab championships. After winning three gold medals at the previous Arab Championship in Abu Dhabi in the 50m backstroke, 100m backstroke, and 200m backstroke events, he has now won three more gold medals in the same events at the current championship. This is an exceptional achievement that demonstrates the excellence of this star and reinforces the notion that Sudan is full of athletic talent that needs care and attention. What Ziad has achieved is unprecedented, and despite the war, destruction, and lack of official support, Ziad emerged from the waters of Casablanca crowned with gold, confirming that Sudan is capable of competing.

Ziad Salim is an Olympic swimmer who has participated in several championships. His journey began at the African Championship in Tunisia, where he won two silver medals. He won two more at the Islamic Solidarity Games. After that, Ziad won three gold medals in the 50m backstroke, 100m backstroke, and 200m backstroke at the previous Arab Championship in Abu Dhabi, and now he is consecutively winning gold medals at the Arab Championship in Morocco.

Sudan's champions are scheduled to compete in the first African Championship in Kenya next November. According to Mr. Walid Eid, the secretary of the Sudanese Aquatic Games Federation, they will be a significant force. The team will be led by Ziad Salim, Abu Bakr Abbas Jalab, Yousif Sami Bashir (who is currently in Hungary), and Jaafar Muhammad Jaafar (who is in France on a scholarship), in addition to the strong up-and-coming swimmers Omar Maana, Ahmad Yaqoub Sheka, and Muhammad Sayed. There are also the young swimmers who represent the future of swimming. "We will participate to win titles," said the federation's secretary, who expressed his hope that the state would pay attention to and support this sport.

With his three gold medals at both the current and previous Arab Championships, Ziad Salim is on his way to becoming a legend that future generations will talk about, and an icon of a sport in which champions have long excelled, their history preserved with a glorious legacy of championships. Whenever swimming is mentioned in Sudan, its champions, such as Sultan Kejab, Mamdouh, and Sarah Gadallah, come to mind, even if the distances and championships have changed.

Mr. Tariq Abdel Salam Diab, the president of the Sudanese Aquatic Games Federation, commented on these achievements, saying, "We are happy that these achievements were made after the activity continued throughout the war. We participated in all international and regional championships, the latest of which were the World Championship in Singapore, the Junior Championship in Romania, and now the Arab Championship in Morocco."

Diab appealed to the state to pay attention to sports activities because they have the potential to achieve many accomplishments with little expenditure and to maintain Sudan's presence in such international forums. He expressed his hope that the perspective on sports would change during the tenure of Minister Professor Ahmad Adam, and that greater attention would be given to various sports, as they represent a shield for youth in the face of many problems.

Congratulations poured in for champion Ziad at both the official and popular levels. The Minister of Youth and Sports praised the family of the Aquatic Games Federation and specifically congratulated Ziad Salim, describing him as an exceptional talent with a strong will who has crowned himself as the Arab and African king of the backstroke. He also praised the leadership of the Sudanese technical mission, headed by the veteran coach Muhammad El-Sabir, and the participation of the swimmers Lina Salah, Yousif Muhammad (Wad Mayou), and Sheka, who gave an honorable image of Sudanese swimming on the Arab stage. He directed all Sudanese sports federations to be highly motivated and persistent and to continuously participate in external competitions to raise the name and flag of Sudan in all international forums.

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