In a general sense, Turkey dominated the 2025 Islamic Solidarity Games. The Asian/European (depending on who you ask) Muslim-majority nation collected 155 total medals across 18 different sports in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, well ahead of runner-up Uzbekistan’s 96 medals. Turkish athletes earned 72 gold medals during the two-week event, while Uzbekistan and Iran tied for the second-most with 29 golds each.

In track and field — historically the headliner of multi-national, multi-sport events like the Islamic Solidarity Games, the Olympics, and the Pan American Games — the competition was a lot closer.

Turkey still won the most total track and field medals (20) at this edition of the ISG, but Bahrain was right on their heels (17). Bahrain came away with the most track and field gold medals (10), while Turkey was second place (seven). Turkey and Uzbekistan tied for the most track and field silver medals (six apiece); and Turkey had the most bronze medals (seven), while Cameroon and Uzbekistan tied with four bronzes.

If there was an MVP award given for Turkey’s track and field team, the top contenders would be men’s 400-meter hurdler Berke Akcam and women’s 100-meter hurdler Cansu Nimet Sayin. Akcam won a gold medal in his solo event by posting an ISG-record time of 49.22 seconds, and added a bronze as part of the 4×400-meter relay team. Sayin took home individual gold by tying an ISG record with a time of 13.54 seconds.

Akcam and Sayin were Turkey’s only gold medalists on the track, but the country did produce five gold medalists in the field events: Halil Yilmazer in the men’s hammer throw, Omer Sahin in the men’s discus, Demet Parlak in the women’s pole vault, Emel Dereli in the women’s shot put, and Yasir Kuduban shared gold in the men’s high jump with Uzbekistan’s Amir Nagaev.

Bahrain, meanwhile, almost pulled off an incredible sweep. Of the 10 women’s individual track events, Bahrain claimed eight gold medals and had three double-gold winners. Winfred Yavi, a reigning Olympic champion from the 2024 Summer Games in Paris, won gold in Riyadh in the 3,000-meter steeplechase and the 5,000-meter flat race; Nelly Korir won the 800-meter and 1,500-meter gold medals; and Edidiong Odiong took both the 100- and 200-meter sprints (Odiong also earned a silver medal in the 4×100-meter relay). Salwa Naser and Oluwakemi Adekoya also left the ISG with multiple medals for Bahrain: Naser won gold in the individual 400 meters and silver in the 20, Adekoya won the 400-meter hurdles, and both earned silver medals as teammates in the 4×400-meter relay. On the men’s side, Bahrain’s Birhanu Balew won gold in the 10,000 meters and silver in the 5,000 meters.

Cameroon and Oman had good showings in the men’s sprints, highlighted by Ali Anwar Ali Al-Balushi‘s 100-meter gold medal for Oman, and Emmanuel Eseme‘s gold in the 200 meters.

Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem, who won a 2024 Olympic gold medal in men’s javelin throw, won the competition at the 2025 Islamic Solidarity Games.