Historic Victory: Afghan Athlete Mohammad Yousuf Jahangir Claims Gold in Muay Thai at Islamic Solidarity Games

Mohammad Yousuf Jahangir, an Afghan athlete, won the gold medal in the Muay Thai (over 70 kg category) at the Islamic Solidarity Games in Riyadh, defeating his Turkish rival Mehmet Ali Merc. Jahangir is the first Afghan athlete to achieve a gold medal in the history of these games…

Defeating the Turkish Rival in Riyadh

Mohammad Yousuf Jahangir, a worthy Afghan athlete, succeeded in winning the gold medal in Muay Thai (kickboxing) at the Islamic Solidarity Games currently taking place in Saudi Arabia.

Jahangir defeated his strong Turkish opponent, Mehmet Ali Merc, in the critical over 70 kg weight category, and was able to engrave Afghanistan’s name in the history of these competitions. The final competition between these two athletes took place last night in Riyadh as part of the Islamic Solidarity Games.

Establishing a Position in the Medal Table

The acquisition of this gold medal by Jahangir is considered a historic achievement as he is the first Afghan athlete to win a gold medal in the Islamic Solidarity Games. With this single gold medal, Afghanistan ranked twentieth in the medal tally of these games.

It is noteworthy that the Islamic Solidarity Games 2025 have started with the participation of approximately 57 Islamic countries from November 4 and will continue until the 21st of this month.

Comparison with Regional Sports Delegations

According to statistics, in the medal ranking table, Turkey is in the first position with 105 medals, 58 of which are gold.

Afghanistan sent about 69 athletes to participate in these competitions in boxing, taekwondo, volleyball, judo, and several other categories, and so far, apart from the achievement of Mohammad Yousuf Jahangir, they have not gained any other significant results.