Doha: Qatar celebrated its first medal at the Islamic Solidarity Games in Riyadh yesterday as swimmer Ali Tamer claimed silver in the men's 100-meter freestyle at the Prince Faisal bin Fahd Olympic Complex.

Tamer finished the race in 49.63 seconds, narrowly missing the gold to Saudi Arabia's Zaid Al-Sarraj, who touched the wall in 49.62 seconds.

Another Saudi Arabian, Emad Al-Zaben, completed the podium with a time of 50.4 seconds.

“I am extremely proud to have won Qatar's first medal at these Games. The race was tough, but I entered with great motivation to swim for my country and raise its flag at international events,” said Ali Tamer.

“I dedicate this victory to the Qatar Olympic Committee, the Qatar Swimming Federation, and everyone who supported us during the preparation period. I hope this silver medal will be the beginning of a series of achievements for the rest of my teammates.”

Meanwhile, fellow Qatari swimmer Mohammed Mahmoud advanced to the 50-meter breaststroke final after clocking 28.68 seconds in yesterday's semifinals. His teammate Hamza Al-Shaalan did not qualify, while Mohammed Aziz Ismail ended his participation in the 100-meter butterfly after the semifinals.

In table tennis, Qatar's hopes ended early as Mohammed Abdel Wahab and Abdullah Abdel Wahab were both eliminated in the round of 16 by Algerian opponents, Milan Amine Djellouli and Mehdi Bouloussa, respectively, losing 4-1.

The duo will still compete in the doubles round of 16 today against the Tajik pair of Ibrogimovich Sultanov and Jamshid Hasanov.

In women's karate, Qatar's Mona Al-Kharafi exited in the round of 16 of the under-50 kg category after a defeat to Ivory Coast's Abéné Adéatou Adebayo.

The Qatari men's volleyball team will face Bahrain today in a crucial match to secure qualification for the bronze medal contest.

The tournament's first round is being held in a single round-robin format, with the top two teams from each group advancing to compete for the medal.

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