These 15 Arab athletes won medals in #Rio2016

From a significant showing of Saudi female olympians to the debut of a refugee team, to politically charged encounters between Israel and Egypt, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia, Arabs didn't walk past Rio 2016 unnoticed. You'll want to remember these games for a long time to come.

You didn't have to watch the games to see that Arab Olympians caused quite a stir.

Politics aside, athletes representing Arab countries put on an impressive performance grabbing 16 medals in Rio – three gold, four silver and nine bronze. They quite literally upped their game from the 12 medals collected in London 2012.

Here are the 2016 Olympic medallists representing Arab countries:

Al-Deehani's double-trap shooting gold was a great addition to his roster of two bronze Olympic medals, the only medals on Kuwait's tally.

But his achievement - and those of all nine Kuwaiti 2016 Olympians - will be credited to the Independent Olympic Athletes committee due to an on-going ban on Kuwait, making him the first independent Olympic gold medalist.

The Kenyan-born track athlete won the 3,000-meter steeplechase event, marking Bahrain's first-ever Olympic gold.

Abughaush won Jordan's very first Olympic medal with a first-place finish in the 68-kilogram weight class. He is of Palestinian descent

The Arab World's only Rio Olympic double-medalist placed second in each of the 800 and 1,500-meter races. His London 2012 gold is Algeria’s only gold Olympic medal since 2000 and he is the first and only Algerian Olympic medalist since 2008.

Qatar had only bronze medals in its Olympic tally until this high-jumper took silver in Rio. Barshim is now shooting for gold in Tokyo 2020, having already won bronze in London 2012.

The Kenyan-born marathon runner-up won Bahrain's first silver Olympic medal.

From 33rd place in Beijing 2008, to 6th place in London 2012, Boubakri took to the Olympic podium this time, placing third in the women's individual foil fencing event. She is the first Tunisian fencer to bring home an Olympic medal.

Also a three-time Olympian, Amri ranked 14th in 2008 and 8th in 2012. In Rio, she placed third in the 58-kilogram category, grabbing her country's first Olympic medal in wrestling.

Oueslati won Tunisia's first taekwondo Olympic medal, a bronze in the 80-kilogram category. It was his first time at the Olympics.

The 2015 World champion  placed third in the welterweight (69 kilograms) category.

Sarah Ahmed is the first Egyptian sportswoman and first female Arab weightlifter to stand on the Olympic podium.  She lifted her way to the bronze in the 69-kilogram weight class.

Mahmoud's bronze in the 77-kilogram category marked Egypt’s first Olympic medal won by a male weightlifter since 1948.

Fighting in the 57-kilogram category, Malak granted the Arab World its first Olympic medal won by a female taekwondo competitor.

The skeet shooter first competed in Atlanta 1996. Twenty years and six Olympic Games later, Al-Rashidi has finally tasted Olympic victory, setting an Olympic record along the way. Al-Rashidi became the second Kuwaiti to win an Olympic medal. The medal has been withheld from Kuwait, owing to the country's barring from the games.

Competing in the 81-kilogram division, Moldovan-born Toma won UAE's second Olympic medal.

Apart from the medalists, several Arab athletes achieved impressive results in Rio, falling short of reaching the podium. Egyptian weightlifter Shaimaa Haridy ranked fourth in her weight class. Farida Osman placed fifth in the 100-meter butterfly race, setting a new African record .

The Rio Olympics might be over, but more #Rio2016 medals are yet to be wo, as  Arab athletes gear up for the Rio Paralympics - the Olympics' counterpart for athletes with disabilities, starting September 7.