Our golden girl

It has been an exciting, engaging and enormously profitable sporting week for Bahrain.

Nationally and internationally, there was something for everyone – ranging from upsets in King’s Cup soccer, intricate battles in snooker, close calls in bowling and topping it all was Bahraini golden girl Ruqaya Al Ghasra’s all-conquering feats at the Arab Athletics Championship in Amman and Hamad Al Fardan’s maiden podium finish in British Formula Three in Bucharest.
Add to it the heart-stopping FA Cup final, the Louis Vuitton Cup sailing saga, Shahid Afridi’s batting blitz, England’s run riot and finally Roger Federer’s clay conquest to get the drift. A week of seemingly endless and world class sporting action.
Bahrain had its own share of top action as well, right in the middle of the kingdom and in Amman and Bucharest.
But Ruqaya was the undisputable champion of the week. In less than a fortnight, the 24-year-old Bahraini not only underlined her supremacy in the Arab region, but also announced that she was ready to take on the best in the world.
Ruqaya began promisingly finishing third in the 100m dash at the IAAF Super Grand Prix in Doha. It was an unforgettable moment as the Bahraini, in her trademark white headscarf, full-sleeved vest and blood-red full-length track pants, sprinted down the track matching stride for stride with some of the best American runners.
Americans Allyson Felix and Sheri-Ann Brooks took the first two places respectively, but Ruqaya was not very far behind in third place. That both Ruqaya and Brooks finished with an identical 11.29 seconds is indicative of the close race. Incidentally, it was also a new Bahrain national record.
Ruqaya’s next stop was Amman where she was in splendid isolation, in a class of her own, seemingly untouchable and unstoppable. I watched the Doha race in awe, but the Amman event was quite an embarrassment, honestly.
Ruqaya won the 100m heats without raising a sweat, and her nearest rival was at least 25 metres away when the Bahraini breasted the tape. In the final, the gap was even more gaping. The 200m heats was a perfect replica.
Tareq Mubarak added the second gold winning the 3,000m steeplechase and Bahrain’s tally by Sunday evening was an impressive two gold, four silver and two bronze.
Another couple of Bahrainis in faraway Bucharest were having their own time under the limelight. Hamad Al Fardan and Shaikh Salman bin Rashid Al Khalifa continued their impressive runs in round three of the British Formula Three series.
Hamad finished third in the first race after a gruelling competition with some of the best drivers from China, Briton, Spain, South Africa and Mexico.
The 20-year-old Bahrain’s future Formula One hope could have improved on this performance in the second race. And he almost did it leading till the 11th lap with eight more to go. But conditions got the better of him when he crashed his car into the cement wall.
Shaikh Salman, who had finished eighth in the first race, however, kept the Bahrain interest alive. The former BMW Asia champion eventually finished fourth. Shaikh Salman has moved from seventh to fifth overall while Hamad is in ninth position in the standings with eight more rounds to go.
The next stop for Shaikh Salman and Hamad is Snetterton, UK, for the fourth round to be held on June 2 and 3.
Ruqaya, meanwhile, gears up for the World Athletics Championship to be held in Osaka from August 25 to September 2.
The challenges ahead are indeed daunting, but not impossible.

By Vijay Mruthyunjaya
vmruthyunjay@gmail.com