Qatari athletics, through its future champions, achieved a new success in a fresh tournament, with the national team securing an effective participation and numerous medals on the road to a successful future. What was achieved confirms that Qatari athletics continues to possess talent capable of excelling in any event. In Bahrain, at the first West Asian Youth Championships, seven of our champions won seven medals – four gold, two silver and one bronze. The promising national team proved that it was in excellent shape and that, although competing in an older category than its own, it still achieved excellence; had the squad not been reduced in number, the success would have been complete in every event and race. HE Major General Dahlan Jumaan Al Hamad, chairman of the Qatar and Asian athletics federations and vice-president of the IAAF, expressed his happiness at the positive participation and the good technical form shown by our champions
In the results and achievements recorded, our talented champion Mohanad Khamis Abdullah won gold in the 3000m steeplechase after a tough contest with older and more experienced rivals, confirming that he was in excellent form and ready to do Qatari athletics proud. Our promising champion Abdullah Hassan Al Rubaie won gold in the decathlon after a strong contest with West Asian champions, especially from the Gulf. Our promising champion Hamdi Al Amin Mohamed won gold in the high jump, confirming that he has outstanding talent and is capable of reaching the best marks in the future. Our champion Abdulrahman Al Hashidi won silver in the race walk, while our other talented champion Abdulrahman Al Shammari won the bronze medal. Our talented champion Sara Al Manai enjoyed complete success, winning gold in the javelin throw and silver in the shot put, drawing admiration from everyone for the ideal performance of this champion, who had recently returned from injury; had we had more of our female champions competing, we would have won even more medals
Our national team delegation returned to Doha headed by board member Abdulrahman Al Nubi, crowned with a promising achievement. Joy was evident on the faces of the future champions, especially since they competed in the youth category while still juniors
Major General Dahlan praises
HE Major General Dahlan Jumaan Al Hamad, chairman of the Qatar and Asian athletics federations and vice-president of the IAAF, praised the achievement and said the participation of our champions had met the goals set and confirmed to everyone that Qatari athletics continues to possess talent capable of doing Qatari sport proud. He added: “There is no doubt that what was achieved at the recent West Asian Youth Championships pleases us, and we dedicate it to every fan of the mother of sports, because it is a complete achievement that shows the talent exists and is capable of continuing the journey of the previous generation, and is the clearest proof that Qatari athletics goes from success to success, especially with the great support of the wise leadership and also the Olympic Committee. Although the participation was limited, it sent a positive message that Qatari athletics is capable of achieving excellence in any event it takes part in. There is no doubt that positive preparation and continuous follow-up of the new generation will certainly contribute to the continuation of the journey of excellence, especially as the coming generation faces major challenges, and we are working to provide everything that contributes to our sport’s excellence in any event”
Major General Dahlan Al Hamad said that Qatari athletics had always been searching continuously for a language of excellence in any position or event, because Qatari sport has become the focus of everyone’s attention, and so everyone seeks to follow its progress and excellence. He considered that Qatari athletics faces major challenges in the coming period, most importantly the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, and that the goal is to present the best image and achieve our hopes
Al Nubi and the positive participation
Abdulrahman Al Nubi, a board member of the athletics federation and head of the delegation, expressed his happiness with the positive results achieved at the first West Asian Youth Championships despite the squad being reduced to seven champions and a single female champion, and so the participation was considered outstanding given the large number of medals achieved – a rate of one medal for each participant. He pointed out that strong support for the future generation is the basis of a successful journey, and so everyone is working to ensure our champions’ continued success. He noted that although Qatari athletics did not achieve complete dominance at the championship, relative to the number of participants it achieved a great deal, more than was expected
Khalifa Abdulmalik and the success
Khalifa Abdulmalik, director of the national teams and executive director of the athletics federation, expressed his happiness at the satisfactory success achieved at the first West Asian Youth Championships and said the participation met expectations, especially since every champion won a medal and an achievement worthy of Qatari sport. He added: “What our delegation achieved at the first West Asian Championships is positive and shows that the journey is on the right track, and that good preparation must produce many positive results. We will continue to work to provide everything possible to complete the journey of success towards full excellence, especially as attention to the future generation is a continuation of the successful journey that Qatari athletics has achieved over the past years. We look at the champions of the future with care and attention to ensure a successful journey, and all thanks go to our champions for the wonderful effort shown during the recent Asian event, and the next one will be even better”
Mohanad Khamis delighted
Mohanad Khamis Abdullah, our national team champion and winner of the 3000m steeplechase gold, expressed his great happiness at his success in a strong championship featuring many experienced athletes, and said he dedicates his achievement to the wise leadership, the federation chairman and every fan of the mother of sports. He noted that he had prepared as well as possible during the past period and hopes to reach the qualifying mark to compete at the World Championships in future, thanking the continuous attention given to the new generation, which aspires to continue the journey of those who came before it
