Al Jaish were crowned champions of the Qatar Athletics Cup in the under-12 and under-16 categories after an exciting contest with Al Sadd and Al Gharafa over three days. Al Jaish succeeded, for the first time since joining the athletics family, in claiming both titles together, their first such achievement, a clear sign of their determination to excel and reach the top of domestic Qatari athletics. While the championship revealed the promising talent the newly crowned club possesses, Al Sadd meanwhile is going through a clear decline in its fortunes, meaning it has fallen away from winning titles as it did for ten consecutive years. In short, Al Jaish deserved their superiority in the Qatar Cup for boys’ and girls’ under-12 and under-16 categories, having taken first place in the under-12 boys with 88 points while Al Sadd finished fourth – a surprise – while Al Jaish also took first place in the under-16 category after a tough battle with Al Sadd, decided only on the medal count, as both clubs scored 110 points.
In the under-16 category, Al Jaish finished first with 110 points, ahead of second-placed Al Sadd on 110 points on countback of medals, with Al Gharafa third on 89 points, Al Ahli fourth on 86 points, Al Khor fifth on 71.5 points, Al Arabi sixth on 62.5 points, Al Rayyan seventh on 41 points, Qatar SC eighth on 38 points, Al Shamal ninth on 32 points and Al Wakrah tenth on 20 points.
In the under-12 category, Al Jaish finished first after collecting 88 points, while Al Gharafa were second on 63 points, Qatar SC third on 53 points, Al Sadd fourth on 43 points, Al Khor fifth on 36 points, Al Wakrah sixth on 30 points, Al Ahli seventh on 29 points, Al Arabi eighth on 25 points and Al Rayyan ninth on 23 points, ahead of tenth-placed Al Shamal, also on 23 points, on countback of medals.
Board members Abdulhakim Al Omari and Abdulrahman Al Noubi crowned Al Jaish and the top three finishers at the close of the championship, with Rashid Al Ansari also taking part. Secretary General Mohammed Jassim Al Kuwari had watched a number of the contests over the three days, accompanied by federation member Mai Al Mohammadi and the federation’s technical expert Dr Jabbar Al Kaabi.
Among the notable results recorded in the under-12 category, Al Jaish’s Yousef Al Refai won the shot put with 11.81 m, with Al Khor’s Hamza Sousi second on 11.72 m. In the long jump, Al Gharafa’s Chijindu Ayomiekun won with 4.68 m. In the 60 m, Al Jaish’s Yousef Azzam won in 8.23 sec. In the 2000 m walk, Al Sadd’s Mohammed Ali Al Saadi won in 11:01.87, with Qatar SC’s Mohsen Badr second in 11:27.64. In the high jump, Al Jaish’s Khalid Abdul Nasser won with 1.55 m. In the javelin, Al Gharafa’s Salman Sharif won with a new record of 45.11 m. In the 60 m hurdles, Al Arabi’s Zaid Ashraf Omar won in 9.11 sec. In the 150 m, Al Jaish’s Yousef Azzam won in 19.39 sec. In the 1200 m, Qatar SC’s Al Hafiz Madani Mahdi won in 3:46.74. In the combined event, Al Gharafa’s Mohammed Rabid won with 1,610 points, with Al Khor’s Mohammed Wasel second on 1,493 points and Al Rayyan’s Ghanem Nasser third on 1,360 points.
Under-16 category
Among the notable results in the under-16 category, Al Shamal’s Ahmed Mohammed Ahmed won the hammer throw with 40.82 m, with Al Sadd’s Mustafa Mohammed Bushra second on 38.16 m. In the high jump, Al Jaish’s Abubaker Al Sheikh won with 1.81 m. In the javelin, Al Khor’s Abdullah Hassan won with 38.76 m, with Al Arabi’s Ahmed Nasser second on 32.05 m. In the 60 m, Al Gharafa’s Mesnad Kotarzel won in 7.74 sec. In the 1500 m steeplechase, Al Gharafa’s Mohammed Ali Adnan won in 4:37.43. In the shot put, Al Sadd’s Ahmed Saeed Farraj won with 14.69 m. In the 100 m, Al Jaish’s Owaab Michael won in 13.52 sec, with Al Khor’s Abdulrahman Bilal Al Khater second in 13.92 sec. In the long jump, Al Khor’s Mohammed Azmir won with 5.80 m. In the 3000 m walk, Al Jaish’s Asad Nour Mohammed won in 15:40.11. In the pole vault, Al Gharafa’s Ibrahim Mahmoud won with 3.00 m. In the 250 m hurdles, Al Jaish’s champion won in 32.16 sec, with Al Sadd’s Saud Abdulaziz Al Humaidi second in 33.33 sec. In the discus, Al Sadd’s Ahmed Saeed Farraj won with 50.21 m. In the 2000 m, Al Gharafa’s Abdulrahman Sami won in 6:09.20, with Al Jaish’s Saleem Jabbour second in 6:15.29 and Qatar SC’s Abdulwahab Ali Morsi third in 6:16.29.
Abdulhakim Al Omari, Athletics Federation member: Al Jaish’s success is deserved and the competition has grown stronger
Abdulhakim Al Omari, Athletics Federation member and head of Al Jaish’s technical committee, congratulated the club on its success in the Qatar Cup for the under-16 and under-12 categories, saying the success reflected hard work and a determination to excel, and also congratulated Al Sadd, Al Gharafa and Qatar SC on taking the top places. He considered the competition in domestic championships to have grown stronger, with all clubs determined to achieve full development by delivering the best results, and said domestic championships were the most important place for discovering talent and working to develop it or bringing it into the national teams, since the federation is in permanent partnership with the clubs in the service of Qatari athletics, first and foremost.
Abdulrahman Al Noubi, Athletics Federation member: we are happy with the strong participation in our domestic championships
Abdulrahman Al Noubi, Athletics Federation member, expressed his happiness at the strong participation of clubs in domestic championships and their keenness to take an active part and reach the best positions and marks. He said Al Jaish deserved congratulations for succeeding within a few years in reaching the podium, the product of great work and successful administrative and technical management, noting that all clubs were now present in every event and that there was now a great deal of talent capable of serving Qatari athletics.
