There is much to expect from Arab athletes at the upcoming Olympics in Paris.
In total, the Arab men won 14 medals at Tokyo 2020 and there is potential for more this time.
Here are five Arab men to watch at Paris 2024.
Djamel Sedjati (Algeria) – Athletics
Algeria's Djamel Sedjati heads to Paris in fine form, not only chasing gold but also breaking the 800m world record, held by David Rudisha 12 years ago.
Over the past three weeks, 25-year-old Sedjati has run the 800m in third and fourth place overall, clocking 1 minute 41.56 seconds at the Diamond League stop in Paris, before lowering his personal best to 1:41.46 five days later in Monaco.
Rudisha set a world record of 1:40.91 at London 2012 and Sedjati has every intention of emulating the Kenyan at this Olympics.
“I would like to thank everyone, especially my family and my coach. This is the fourth time I have run a world record and the second time an Algerian record. I have worked hard for this,” Sedjati said in Monaco recently.
“Now I'm thinking about the world record, I hope to do it at the Olympics. I have two more weeks to prepare for it. I'll focus on that and do my best to achieve my goal.
“I will keep the same preparation. My mentality is that the hard work I have put in will pay off.”
Sedjati's performance in Monaco allowed him to set a new national record, a world record, a Diamond League record, a meeting record and his personal best.
Will he do even better in Paris?
The men's 800m heats will begin on August 7, with the semi-finals and finals taking place on August 9 and 10.
Ahmad Abu Al-Soud (Jordan) – Gymnastics
In Liverpool in 2022, Jordan's Ahmad Abu Al-Soud won the silver medal in the pommel horse, becoming the first Arab to stand on the podium at a world championship.
Although a lower back injury slowed her momentum, the following year she won another World Championship medal, this time bronze.
He then dominated the 2024 World Cup (winning gold in three of the four events), booking his ticket to Paris and becoming the first Jordanian gymnast to qualify for the Olympics.
29-year-old Abu Al-Soud, who has an ability named after him in the FIG Code of Points, travels to Paris ranked world No. 1 in the pommel horse and is one of the favourites for Olympic gold.
The men's artistic gymnastics qualifications will begin on July 27 at the Bercy Arena, while the pommel horse final is scheduled for August 3.
Ramzi Boukhiam (Morocco) – Surfing
The first Moroccan or Arab surfer to qualify for the World Surf League's Championship Tour, Ramzi Boukhiam is heading to his second Olympics, after competing in Tokyo 2020, the year surfing made its debut.
The 2024 Olympic surfing competition will take place in Tahiti, where 24 men and 24 women will take on the majestic and equally terrifying Teahupo'o wave.
Taghzout get up!
Ramzi Boukhiam keeps the Moroccans on their toes and manages to stay upright despite a Teahupo'o foamball technical, securing victory over Kelly Slater and a spot in the semi-finals!@SHISEIDO_USA #TahitiPro @outerknown_live photo.twitter.com/aEOlRy8SEx
— World Surfing League (@wsl) May 30, 2024
Boukhiam placed ninth in his Olympic debut in Tokyo, but Teahupo'o is much more suited to his style of surfing. And the 30-year-old can take comfort in the fact that he placed third in the exact same spot on the Championship Tour at the Tahiti Pro just two months ago.
“Now I have a second chance, I’m going to Tahiti, on a wave like Teahupo’o, it’s the most dangerous but also the most perfect wave on the planet,” Boukhiam, who was Morocco’s flag bearer at Tokyo 2020, recently told the Abtal podcast.
“As a surfer, there's nothing better. You're scared but super excited at the same time and I think if we could get some good waves, it could be a really, really incredible event.”
Boukhiam secured his spot at the 2024 Olympics by winning a silver medal at the ISA World Surfing Games in Puerto Rico in March.
The Olympic surfing competitions will begin in Tahiti on July 27 and continue through July 31.
Mutaz Barshim (Qatar) – Athletics
Qatar's Mutaz Barshim won bronze in London (promoted to silver nine years later), silver in Rio and gold in Tokyo.
Barshim has raised the bar ever higher at each Olympics and the high jump star is now ready to take the leap one last time.
“I feel like I’ve been here for a while, I’ve done it all, I’ve seen it all, and I feel like at this point it would be selfish for me to take more time away from my family and loved ones,” the 33-year-old Barshim told FloTrack this week after announcing that Paris would be his final Games.
“I want to be there for my family, too. Everyone has been there for me my whole career. I've been jumping professionally since 2011, so it's been a long time and I'm really happy and content with everything we've accomplished together, but I feel like it's time to give back. It's time to give back to my family.”
Barshim provided one of the most iconic moments of the Tokyo Olympics when he and his Italian rival and friend Gianmarco Tamberi decided to share the gold medal instead of resorting to a tiebreaker.
Both had overcome career-threatening injuries heading into Tokyo and felt they deserved to stand on the top step of the podium.
Mutaz Barshim and Gianmarco Tamberi shared the top step of the podium in the men's high jump at Tokyo 2020.
Vote for your favorite Olympic magic moment for a chance to win a trip to #Paris2024Territorial restrictions may apply for voting. https://t.co/aGWb0MJuy2#Coca Cola photo.twitter.com/fJIlpODmkq
— The Olympics (@Olympics) July 2, 2024
Barshim and Tamberi said there would be no sharing if they were in the same situation in Paris.
Qualification for the men's high jump at the Paris Olympics will take place on August 7 at the Stade de France, with the final scheduled for August 10.
Yahia Omar (Egypt) – Handball
He may be a Parisian for the next three years, but before making his debut for his new club Paris Saint-Germain, Yahia Omar will try to help Egypt win its first Olympic handball medal.
The Egyptians came painfully close to making it to 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 this far in handball at the Olympics.
The 26-year-old right-back was a key member of the Olympic team, earning him All-Star recognition for Tokyo 2020 – the first non-European since 1992 to achieve that feat.
Egypt will have a tough road ahead in Paris as they have been drawn in the same group as hosts and defending champions France, and reigning world champions Denmark, Norway, Hungary and Argentina.
“It's the Olympics. There's nothing easy. I think we have the toughest group, but I think that gives us a better chance of being in the semifinals,” Omar said when the draw was revealed.
On July 27, the Pharaohs began their campaign against Hungary.
