UAE's Mariam Kareem Wins First Gold Medal at 2026 Asian Games with Record 54.31-Second 400m Hurdles Run in Nagoya

Mariam Kareem, 18, delivered the UAE's first gold medal at the 2026 Asian Games after winning the women's 400m hurdles final in Nagoya on Monday, September 28, 2026, with an Asian Games-record time of 54.31 seconds, according to Gulf News and The National. Kareem finished 0.27 seconds ahead of Kazakhstan's Adelina Zems, who took silver in 54.58 seconds, with India's Vithya Ramraj completing the podium in 54.75 seconds. The 18-year-old had qualified fastest for the final with a personal best of 55.14 seconds on Sunday, then lowered that mark by 0.83 seconds to claim the UAE's first athletics gold of the Games. The 54.31-second time also represents the world's best U20 time of 2026, according to The National. UAE Athletics Federation President Major General Dr Mohammed Abdullah Al Murr praised the achievement as a manifestation of the tremendous support extended to UAE sport by the country's wise leadership.

The gold medal caps a remarkable season for Kareem, who also won 400m hurdles gold at the Asian U20 Championships in Hong Kong and two gold medals at the 2025 Asian U18 Athletics Championships in Dammam in the 200m and 400m hurdles. Born in 2008, Kareem has competed at the Asian Championships and reached the top eight at the World U20 Championships. She entered the 2026 Asian Games after setting a UAE national under-20 record of 56.27 seconds in August. The gold also adds to the UAE's athletics success at the Games, following Sulaiman Abdulrahman's silver medal in the men's 400m on Saturday, September 26, in 44.99 seconds. The UAE won five gold medals at the previous Asian Games in Hangzhou in 2023, collecting a record 20 medals overall.

Sources

Gulf News, Mariam Kareem, 18, Wins UAE's First Gold Medal at Asian Games 2026 with Record 400m Hurdles Run, September 28, 2026, gulfnews.com; The National, Mariam Kareem: Athletics chief praises 'exceptional achievement' of UAE's Asian Games gold medal winner, September 29, 2026, thenationalnews.com; The National, UAE win first gold medal of Asian Games in women's 400m hurdles, September 28, 2026, thenationalnews.com