Al Jaish and Al Arabi’s athletics stars topped the Qatar Indoor Athletics Cup in the youth and juniors categories, held on the track and field of the Aspire Academy for Sports Excellence indoor hall, with the participation of the Qatari clubs affiliated with the federation. As usual, Al Jaish and Al Arabi’s promising champions in both categories dominated and swept the competitions with distinction, while a fierce battle raged between Al Jaish’s youth team and Al Sadd until the very last moment, with Al Jaish’s champions settling the contest by a single point (81/80), while Al Khor’s riders finished third. Meanwhile, Al Arabi’s juniors sprang a surprise and deservedly claimed the title, with Al Sadd finishing runners-up and Al Jaish third. After the competitions concluded, Captain Mohammed Suleiman, assistant secretary-general, along with Abdulhakim Al Omari and Yaqoub Abdullah, head of the preparation and equipment committee, crowned the winning teams in the top places amid great joy for the champions crowned with titles and coloured medals
Al Jaish claim the youth title
Al Jaish’s youth team seized top spot by a single point, finishing with a total of 81 points, with Al Sadd runners-up on 80 points. Al Khor came third with 71 points, ahead of Al Gharafa, who finished fourth with 57 points, Al Rayyan fifth with 52 points, Al Ahli sixth with 29 points, Qatar SC seventh with 27 points, Al Wakrah eighth with 15 points and Al Arabi ninth with 14 points
Among the standout results in the youth category, Al Jaish’s Mohammed Al Amin won the high jump with 2.00m, and Al Jaish’s Mohammed Al Sheikh Yaqoub took second on countback with 1.85m over Al Khor’s Anis Muslim. In the pole vault, Al Gharafa’s Mohammed Yousef Saqr won with 4.20m, with Al Jaish’s Abdullah Al Rabiei second on 3.40m and Al Sadd’s Sultan Murshid third on 3.30m. In the 800m, Al Khor’s Ebada Ibrahim won, with Al Sadd’s Ibrahim Mirin second and Qatar SC’s Ahmed Khaled Ansari third. In the 60m, Al Jaish’s Abdulrahman Jassim Mahboub won in 6.96, with Al Khor’s Felipe Omar second in 7.01 and Al Sadd’s Abduljalil Al Manai third in 7.14. In the 1500m, the talented Al Rayyan athlete Mohanad Khamis won, with Al Jaish’s Idris Hamed second and Al Sadd’s Ibrahim Mirin third
Al Arabi champions of the juniors category
Al Arabi’s juniors won the bet and deservedly claimed the category title, lifting the prized cup by three points over their closest rivals Al Sadd, finishing with 101 points to Al Sadd’s 98. Al Jaish came third with 57 points, while Al Ahli finished fourth with 54.5 points, Al Gharafa’s cubs slipped to fifth with 51.5 points, Al Khor were sixth with 30 points, Al Rayyan seventh with 15 points, Al Wakrah eighth with 11 points, Qatar SC ninth with 9 points, and Al Shamal finished tenth with 2 points
Al Arabi’s athletics club turned the tables on the bigger clubs, overtaking established sides such as Al Sadd, Al Rayyan, Al Gharafa, Al Ahli, Qatar SC and Al Wakrah, and Al Arabi’s superiority and excellence certainly did not come out of nowhere, but was the fruit of considerable effort by everyone at the club
Among the standout results in the juniors category, Al Sadd’s Micky Edward won the 2000m, with Al Jaish’s Ziyad Al Sawi second and Al Ahli’s Yousef Mohammed third. In the 60m, Al Arabi’s Yaqoub Al Housni won in 7.41 seconds, with Al Arabi’s Hatmi Khalifa Ahmed Al Hatmi second in 7.43 and Al Sadd’s Jaber Hilal Al Maamari third in 7.69. In the long jump, Al Arabi’s Mubarak Ismail won with 5.00m, with Al Sadd’s Mohammed Saeed Al Saeedan second on 4.84m and Al Gharafa’s Rashed Al Kuwari third on 4.81m
Monday sees the start of the Qatar Cup for men and women
Separately, the Qatar Indoor Athletics Cup competitions for the men’s and women’s categories conclude next Monday on the track and field of Aspire Academy for Sports Excellence, organised by the Qatar Athletics Federation under the chairmanship of HE Major General Dahlan Al Hamad for both categories, running from 21-23 December. Ten clubs affiliated with the federation are taking part in the challenge: Al Sadd, Al Rayyan, Al Jaish, Qatar SC, Al Ahli, Al Arabi, Al Wakrah, Al Gharafa, Al Khor and Al Shamal, in addition to the Girls’ Training Centre
