Tokyo 2020: the Mena athletes in action on final day at Games

Bahrain's El Hassan El Abbassi will be eyeing podium finish in men's marathon

The Tokyo Olympics was draw to a close on Sunday. AFP

It's the final day of action at the Tokyo Olympics, and the last opportunity for athletes to go for glory.

Below is the list of athletes from the Mena region who will be competing on Sunday.

Athletics

Sapporo Odori Park

The men’s marathon at Sappori Odori Park will mark the start of the final day of the Olympic Games in Tokyo. All eyes will be on Kenyan runner Eliud Kipchoge, who is the reigning gold medalist and world record holder. Kipchoge aspires to set a new world record in Tokyo but will face stiff competition.

El Hassan El Abbassi, representing Bahrain, could find himself in medal contention. With a personal best only 13 seconds off Kipchoge’s season best time, El Hassan may have a place on the podium.

El Hassan’s compatriots Alemu Beleke and Shumi Dechasa will also toe the line at the marathon. They will be joined by other regional athletes including Moroccan Othmane El Goumri, Israeli Maru Teferi, and Israeli resident and refugee athlete Tachlowini Gabriyesos. While these athletes will have a difficult route to the podium, the brutal heat and humidity in Tokyo could make it any man’s race.

Cycling

Izu Velodrome

Egyptian cyclist Ebtissam Zayed Ahmed will represent his country in the omnium event, which consists of four types of races to be held throughout the day.

Rhythmic Gymnastics

Ariake Gymnastics Centre

A team of five Israeli women will compete for a podium in the rhythmic gymnastics all-around final. They will seek to improve on a sixth place finish in Rio and secure Israel’s third gymnastics medal of the games. A strong performance by Israel would establish a new dominance in rhythmic gymnastics following yesterday’s gold medal in the individual event for Linoy Ashram, who will not compete in the all around event.

Closing Ceremony

Tokyo Olympic Stadium

After the final event of the day, the men’s gold medal match in water polo, it's time for the closing ceremony of the Tokyo Olympic Stadium. In a nod to the empty stadiums at this year’s games, the concept of the closing ceremony will be “World We Share,” which conveys the idea that even if we cannot all be together, we can all share a moment.

As athletes are asked to return home 24 to 48 hours after their participation at the games is over, much smaller delegations will be present for each country than at previous closing ceremonies.