• Notable Individual Efforts Despite Missing Out on Manama Finals

The Jordanian national swimming team continued its participation on Wednesday in the third edition of the Asian Youth Games, currently held in the Bahraini capital, Manama

Wednesday’s events witnessed strong performances and standout individual efforts from the four swimmers—Ali Al-Baddour, Omar Nouh, Jana Al-Tawil, and Tara Al-Aloul—who competed in freestyle and breaststroke races. However, none of them managed to secure a spot in the finals

The participation of these young swimmers comes as part of the Jordan Swimming Federation's strategy to enhance international exposure and provide strong competitive platforms for rising talents ahead of major continental and global events. Despite missing out on finals qualification, the results achieved represent important starting points for performance evaluation and future time improvements

Youth efforts in the 200m freestyle

The men’s events focused on the 200m freestyle race, one that requires a combination of speed and high endurance

Omar Nouh delivered a strong performance, finishing sixth in his heat with a time of 1:59.47, affirming his presence in the pool and his ability to compete among Asia's top youth swimmersHis teammate Ali Al-Baddour also competed in the same race, placing seventh in his heat with a time of 2:02.05

Al-Baddour’s participation marks a key step toward gaining exposure to advanced competitive levels and learning how to manage mid-distance races. The Jordan Swimming Federation places high hopes on developing young swimmers in such events, which are often dominated by Asia’s elite schools, and continues to provide technical and training support to narrow the gap with finalists

Strong competition for the women swimmers

On the women’s side, the focus was on the breaststroke and freestyle races, where Tara Al-Aloul and Jana Al-Tawil showed competitive spirit

Tara Al-Aloul competed in the 100m breaststroke—an event requiring strength and technical skill—finishing fifth in her heat with a time of 1:17.59, positioning her well among Asia’s swimmers in her age category and motivating continued development

Meanwhile, Jana Al-Tawil took part in the 200m freestyle, finishing seventh in her heat with a time of 2:18.60. Her participation represents an important step in overcoming the pressure of major competitions and improving her personal bests

Importance of exposure at the Asian Games

The Asian Youth Games serve as a genuine launching platform for young athletes, focusing not only on medals, but also on building experience

Participation in such major events helps athletes

• Gauge their level: Comparing performance with elite Asian swimmers
• Gain tactical knowledge: Exposure to diverse styles and advanced techniques
• Build athletic character: Managing pressure in high-level knockout competitions

Judo team concludes their campaign with honorable results

Meanwhile, the national judo team concluded its participation in the third edition of the Asian Youth Games (Bahrain 2025) on Thursday, achieving strong results despite not earning medals

Two athletes participated: Haitham Adawi in the under-73 kg category and Talin Khader in the under-63 kg category

Adawi delivered an impressive performance, securing two dominant victories over Syria’s Mohammad Al-Rahwan and Kuwait’s Ali Al-Jadi, earning a spot in the semifinals and placing among the continent’s top four

In the semifinals, he lost to Kazakhstan’s Sevil Daultkery and then fell in the bronze-medal match to India's Harshit, finishing fourth with a commendable display of determination and skill

Talin Khader faced a major challenge in the women’s 63 kg category, falling in the round of 16 to Mongolia’s Ankhtaivan Anudari, and later losing her bronze-medal repechage match against China’s Li Zhixuan. Despite missing a podium finish, Khader’s participation in such a major continental event holds great value in gaining experience and competing against Asia’s top judo athletes