Archibald ends Islamic Games with Long Jump bronze

Nov 21, 2025 Sports

…athletics delivers only medals in Saudi Arabia

By Rawle Toney

Kaieteur Sports – Emanuel Archibald capped off Guyana’s campaign at the Islamic Games with a bronze medal in the men’s long jump, as the competition concluded today in Saudi Arabia.

Emanuel Archibald capped off Guyana’s campaign at the Islamic Games with a bronze medal.

His podium finish marked Guyana’s second medal of the 2025 Games, following sprinter Keliza Smith’s third-place finish in the women’s 100m final.

Archibald produced a best jump of 7.56m, placing him behind Senegal’s Amath Faye, who soared to 7.86m, and Uzbekistan’s Anvar Anvarov, whose winning leap of 8.02m sealed the gold medal.

While the distance was Archibald’s shortest of the season, it comes in a year where he reset his own national record, an impressive 8.22m at the Adidas Atlanta City Games in May, where he also secured bronze.

His performance brought the curtains down on Guyana’s participation at the Games, where more than 30 athletes represented the nation across several disciplines. And once again, it was track and field that lifted the Golden Arrowhead onto the podium.

Athletics continues to stand as Guyana’s most consistent and dependable discipline at the Islamic Games, remaining the only sport in which the country has repeatedly produced medals since its debut.

While swimming gave Guyana its historic first medal through Onan Thom, who earned bronze in the 50m Backstroke at the inaugural games in 2005 and remains the only Guyanese swimmer to medal at the event, subsequent success has come exclusively from the track and field contingent.

Winston George led the way in 2013 with silver in both the 200m and 400m, and he returned in 2017 to claim bronze in the 200m alongside another silver in the 400m.

That same year, Natrena Hooper captured bronze in the women’s high jump, further strengthening Guyana’s athletic presence.

Fast forward to 2025, and the tradition continued.

Archibald’s long jump bronze and Smith’s historic podium in the women’s 100m, making her Guyana’s first female sprinter to medal in the event, underscore the enduring strength of the country’s athletes on the regional stage.

Though Guyana may not have enjoyed its most prolific outing this year, the two medals reaffirm athletics as the backbone of the nation’s success at the Islamic Games.

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Backstroke, Guyanese, Keliza Smith’s, Natrena Hooper, participation, Uzbekistan’s Anvar

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