?Bahrain’s delegation to Brazil attended the closing ceremony of the 2016 Olympic Games at the famous Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro.
Brazil and the world bid farewell Sunday to the first Olympic Games in South America, a 16-day spectacle that combined numerous highlight-reel moments with ugly and even bizarre episodes that sometimes overshadowed the competitions.
Bahrain emerged as the top-ranked Arab nation on the final medal tally at the conclusion of this summer’s Rio Olympics. The Bahrainis were ranked 48th overall out of 87 countries that won a medal.
Bahrain’s final ranking can be attributed to the gold medal won by Ruth Jebet in the women’s 3,000 metres steeplechase. Eunice Kirwa added a silver medal in the women’s marathon, bringing the kingdom’s overall tally to two medals.
Jebet’s gold was the first-ever for Bahrain at any Olympic Games. Kirwa’s silver added to the silver of Maryam Yusuf Jamal, who had originally won a bronze in the women’s 1,500m at the 2012 London Games but was later promoted following the disqualification of one of her rivals.
Members of the administrative team on Bahrain’s delegation departed Brazil for Bahrain after taking part in the closing ceremony, held early Monday Bahrain time.
Bahrain chef de mission Yousif Abdulqader described the Rio Olympics as outstanding for Bahrain. He said that history has been made in Rio, as not only was Bahrain participating with its biggest ever team at the Olympics, but they also came away with their best medal haul, including Bahrain’s first-ever Olympic gold.
Abdulqader noted the continued backing and follow up from Bahrain Athletics Association president Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa to the team, which was a great contributor to the achievement.
The Bahrain chef de mission said he looks forward to Bahrain achieving even better results in the future, especially at the next Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo four years from now.