Olympic champion Mutaz Barshim is heading in the right direction to achieve his goals
Our ambition is to elevate the sport for the better in our region
Dubai dispatch – Salah Al Haj
Major General Dahlan Jumaan Al Hamad, vice-president of the International Athletics Federation, first vice-president of the Asian federation and President of the Qatar Athletics Federation, praised the performance of our national team’s champions at the West Asian Athletics Championships, currently being held in the emirate of Dubai, stressing that Qatar’s participation was primarily aimed at contributing to the success of this Asian sporting event — “the mother of sports” — held on the soil of our dear UAE. He expressed his appreciation and pride in the depth of the bonds and relations linking the two countries in all fields, while praising the ongoing cooperation and coordination between the Qatari and UAE federations to advance the sport in both countries, and congratulated the UAE federation family on the success of the West Asian Championships, which had concluded late the previous night at the Dubai Police Officers Club, stressing that these successes were not unusual for the Emirati people, the sporting community and those running the sport under the leadership of Counsellor Ahmed Al Kamali, President of the UAE Athletics Federation.
Satisfied with the young team’s results
Asked how satisfied he was with the results our champions had achieved in the West Asian challenge ahead of the closing day, Al Hamad said: yes, as I said earlier, the West Asian Championships come as part of the preparation and build-up for the challenges ahead — successively the military championships, the cross-country relay, the Gulf and Arab championships, and after that the Asian championships, leading up to the athletics World Championships in the Russian capital Moscow next August. He also highlighted the outstanding level shown by Olympic champion Mutaz Barshim in the high jump, considering the mark he achieved at the start of the season — 2.32m — a positive sign reflecting our champion’s professionalism and his physical and mental development after earning the honour of an Olympic medal, which gave him a motivational boost to deliver his best performance, maintain his level and add to his tally of achievements. Al Hamad added: I would also like to commend veteran champion Mabrouk Al Kerbi, winner of the gold medal in the 20km walk, and his teammate Hussein Muthanna, winner of the race’s bronze medal, for what they gave during the championships, and closed his remarks by wishing Qatar’s players success in the tournaments to come.
Barshim and the future
Al Hamad also addressed Olympic champion Mutaz Barshim’s participation, reiterating that his presence at the meeting had come at his coach’s request and as part of his preparation programme, aiming for a better performance and a good numerical improvement, and that in his own assessment Olympic champion Mutaz Barshim was heading in the right direction to achieve his goals.
The sport across Asia
Al Hamad expressed hope that interest in the sport in the West Asia region would rise to the hoped-for level, going on to say that participation had undoubtedly been at a record level, but our ambition remained for the sport in our region to make a qualitative leap for the better.
Suleiman: The championships were a rehearsal for challenges ahead
Captain Mohammed Suleiman, the federation’s secretary general and head of the delegation, considered Qatar’s participation and what the champions had achieved a rehearsal for the challenges ahead, stressing the need to make every effort in pursuit of the team’s goals. He said the coming stage required a careful assessment of matters to identify the positives and negatives, noting that the West Asian Championships had been one stop in a series of stops in preparing to gauge the level of some of our stars ahead of the tournaments to come.
Al Omari: the championships’ technical standard was acceptable
Captain Abdulhakim Al Omari, board member and head of the federation’s technical committee, and our international official who took part in running the championships, gave the West Asian meeting’s competitions a “pass” grade technically, organisationally and in officiating, noting that colleagues at the UAE federation had worked hard and provided a great deal of facilities and support to help make the challenge a success, while the officiating was good and within the abilities of the officials taking part, most of whom were volunteers.
Yacoub and Al Sayyadi: the watchful eyes
Captains Yacoub Abdullah, the delegation’s administrator, and Yasser Al Sayyadi, the teams’ administrator, put in considerable effort in preparation and arrangements to ensure the comfort of Qatar’s players and the technical and medical staff, staying up to provide all facilities and attend to everyone’s affairs, which left a good impression on the players and was reflected in their performance on the track and field — both deserving thanks and praise.
With its women’s team, Iran tops the standings
Iran tightened its grip on the top of the West Asian teams’ standings for men and women, benefiting from its women’s squad, with Iran’s haul reaching 30 colour medals before the final day, including 10 gold. The UAE came second with 9 colour medals including 4 gold, then Kuwait’s team came third with 8 medals including 4 gold, then Qatar fourth with 3 medals — two gold and a bronze — while Lebanon came fifth with two gold medals.
Second day’s results
The second day’s results saw Iran take the lion’s share of the colour medals. First, Iranian athlete
Javaher Zamamani was crowned long jump champion with a distance of 5.46m, followed by Lebanon’s Christelle Sanaa in second place with the silver medal and a distance of 5.45m, and Iran’s Fatima Barizyouni took the bronze medal with a distance of 5.43m.
In the women’s 10km walk, Syria’s Rania Othman took first place and the gold medal, covering the distance in 1:01:31, Lebanon’s Sandy Karam won the silver medal in 1:07:26, and the UAE’s Muneera Mohammed Yousef Al Balushi took the bronze medal in 1:13:36.
In the men’s 10,000m, Jordanian runner Mithqal Maarouf won the gold medal after covering the distance in
33:18.45, the UAE’s Saif Hamad Al Rashidi won the silver medal in 33:34.45, and the UAE’s Ali Khalifa Al Wahshi won the bronze medal in 34:54.45.
In the women’s hammer throw, Iran’s Barinaz won the gold medal with a distance of 44.64m, Iraq’s Dina Hatem won the silver medal with a distance of 37.30m, and Iran’s Maryam Nowruzi took the bronze medal with a distance of 36.78m, while the UAE’s Maryam Salem finished fourth with a distance of 22.89m, and the UAE’s Saeeda Khamis finished fifth also with a distance of 22.89m.
In the men’s hammer throw, Kuwait’s Ali Mohammed Zankawi won the gold medal with a distance of 76.14m, Iran’s Kafi Mousavi won the silver medal with a distance of 70.43m, and Iran’s Masoud Moghaddam took the bronze medal with a distance of 64.44m, while the UAE’s Mohammed Omar Mohammed Khatib finished fourth with a distance of 61.15m. In the 3000m steeplechase, Iran’s Hossein Keyhani won the gold medal in 8:55.59, his compatriot Ahmad Foroud Ibrahim Barahiman won the silver medal in 8:56.11, and Saudi Arabia’s Hussein Mohammed Al Khairi took the bronze medal in 9:10.99.
In the women’s 4x100m relay, Lebanon took first place and the gold medal in 49.01 seconds, Iraq won the silver medal in 49.67 seconds, and Oman took the bronze medal in 52.38 seconds.
In the men’s 4x100m relay, Iran’s team took first place and the gold medal in 40.26 seconds, Oman’s team won the silver medal in 40.31 seconds, and Kuwait took the bronze medal in 40.61 seconds.
In the women’s pole vault, Jordan’s Diana Marwan Khasawneh won the gold medal, clearing a height of 3.00m, Syria’s Reham Shiha won the silver medal also clearing 3.00m, and Oman’s Rasha Mohammed Al Malki took the bronze medal, clearing 2.70m.
Qatar’s delegation returns today
Under God’s protection and care, Qatar’s athletics delegation returns home today from the emirate of Dubai after the conclusion of the West Asian Championships
The 30-member Qatari delegation was headed by our former Olympic champion Mohammed Suleiman, assistant secretary general, and included Captain Abdulrahman Sultan Al Nubi as manager and Yacoub Yousef Abdullah as an official, while the technical and medical staff comprised Yanko Ivanov Bratanov, Evgeni Karasak, Viktor Yemko, Waleed Ahmed Al Sabahi, Pavel Scherba, Stanislav Scherba, Bashir Al Zaghouani, Mohammed Faraj Al Kaabi, Yasser Al Sayyadi, Khalid Yousef Al Obaidly, Mark Jan Bruruk and Sergey Beshkin, in addition to 15 champions led by our Olympic champion Mutaz Essa Barshim in the high jump, Saif Sabah Khairallah in the 110m hurdles, Samuel Francis in the 100m and 200m, Jamal Abdulnasser Omar Abubaker in the 400m hurdles, Hassan Aman Hareb Salmeen in the 400m, Moammar Essa Barshim in the high jump, Ahmad Mohammed Deeb in the discus throw and shot put, Khalid Mohammed Deeb in the shot put, Jabr Khalifa Abdullah Jaber in the pole vault, Mohammed Fadel Al Mohannadi in the javelin, Mohammed Ibrahim Qaeda in the javelin, Mabrouk Saleh Nasser Mohammed in the walk, and Hussein Mohammed Muthanna in the walk, while the 4x100m relay team was made up of sprinters Samuel Francis, Eid Abdullah Al Kuwari, Ali Hassan Anbar Al Jassim, Saif Sabah Khairallah and Jamal Abdulnasser Omar Abubaker.
