The bronze medal won by Bahraini athlete Maryam Jamal at the London Olympic Games held last summer was the highlight of Bahrain’s achievements in 2012. In addition to Jamal’s historic medal for Bahrain at the Olympics, a series of honorable sporting gains was achieved by Bahrain’s athletes sports earlier this year, thanks to the unlimited support from wise kingdom’s leadership, led by His Majesty King Hamad. Bahrain’s success in 2012 was also possible with the backing of His Royal Highness Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, the Prime Minister, and His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince Secretary and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Bahrain Defence Force. Further key efforts and contributions came from the Supreme Council for Youth and Sports and the Bahrain Olympic Committee, headed by Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa. In total, Bahrain had won 182 medals in 2012, including 38 gold medals, 41 silver and 103 bronze in different sporting events, with the Bahrain Shooting Association winning the majority of these medals of 36 medals, including 12 gold. The Bahrain Athletics Association was the second highest gold medal winners of the year with 24 medals, including 10 gold, while the Bahrain Maritime Sports Association and the Bahrain Royal Equestrian and Endurance Federation had five gold medals each, two gold for the Bahrain Basketball Association and one for the Bahrain Table Tennis Association. Athletics: The Bahrain Athletics Association started its bid in 2012 winning five medals at the 15th Arab Championships that was held in May in Amman, in Jordan, where Mayam Al Ansari took the women’s high jump silver, while the team of Hussain Ashoor, Faisal Jassim and Ahmed Al Shawoosh bagged two bronze at the men’s medley relay. On the Asian level, Bahrain athletics were also in top form at the Asian Cross Country Championship held in China during March, when they won two gold, two silver and one bronze, in addition to three gold, one silver and two bronze at the Asian Indoor Championship. The nationals connoted to impress late on, winning five gold medals, two silver and Bronze at the GCC Girls Championship in the Sultanate of Oman in February. Bahrain’s athletes rounded off their medal tally this year taking three bronze medals at the West Asian Championship in Doha, with Mohammed Yusuf Al Ansari and Maryam Al Al Ansari and Hajer Saad taking one medal each. Weightlifting and Bodybuilding: World bodybuilding champion Sami Al Haddad stands on top of Bahrain’s bodybuilders list of honour in this discipline this year, having won the silver medal at the Pro Arnold Classic in New York in May. Bader Ibrahim was the other Bahraini to have won podium at the Arnold Classics, where he could finish third. On the Gulf level, Bahrain weightlifters had won 27 medals in different weight categories at the GCC Championship in Saudi Arabia in February. Their most prominent member was rising weightlifter Mohammed Ebrahim Rabia, who clinched six bronze medals by himself. Table tennis: Mohammed Bushlaibi’s victory was the most prominent at this level, having won the junior age category gold medal at the Arab Cup in Amman, in Jordan in January. Teammates Rashid Khalid and Eyas Ahmed took one bronze medal each in the same category, while men’s senior player Hamad Buhii and women’s team member Maryam Al Qasmi captured one bronze medal apiece in the same tournament. In the Arab Championships held in Kuwait in September, Bahrain added three more bronze medals in the women, junior and cadets team events, while the junior team came second in the qualifying competition for the Asian Junior Championships, which was held in Lebanon in March. The Bahrain Tennis Federation could secure a silver medal by Ahmed Mohammad at the GCC Youth Championships in Bahrain last February. On their part, the Bahrain Gymnastics Federation had won the bronze medal at the 10th GCC Tournament held in Kuwait in February 2012. Golf:Unlike in recent previous years, the Bahrain could only bag third place in the Sixth GCC Championship held in United Arab Emirates last March, while the junior team was able to win second position and the silver medal, while Nasser Yaqoub took the men’s seniors singles bronze in the same event. Bowling: The national bowling team qualified for the World Cup finals, to be held next year in the United States, thanks to its star bowler Yousef Falah, who took the Asian Masters silver medal at the Asian Championships and also clichéd the bronze in the all event. Falahd also achieved the singles gold medal at the GCC Championship in Doha, besides the bronze in the All Event and the Masters silver medal, while Bahrain national team clinched the bronze.