MANILA: Qatari karateka Yaman Ashraf Al Natsheh has won the bronze medal in the 67kg weight category at the Asian Karate Federation (AKF) Cadet, Junior and U21 Championships, which was held over three days in Manila, the Philippines.
Yaman won the bronze medal after losing to Kuwait's Abdullah Al Mutairi in the semi-finals after the bout ended in a tie (4-4).
Ten players participated in that category, and the draw spared the Qatari player from competing in the first round. In the second round, he outperformed Hosen Siam, the Bangladeshi champion, with a score of 9-0, to book his place in the semi-finals.
In the final bout,Al Mutairi beat Hong Kong'sLi Man Hei 6-0.
The Qatar team participated with five players in the tournament.
Yaman Ashraf Al Natsheh participated in the Kumite competitions in the 67kg for under 21 years, Abdulrahman Al Mohannadi in the under 75kg for U21, Abdullah Rashad in the under 84kg for U21, and Abdullah Al Ali in the over 76kg for youth, while Mohammed Younis Abdullah participated in the kata competitions for youth.
Head of the Qatar team Rashed Al Hajri expressed his satisfaction with the levels presented by the Qatar players, especially Al Natsheh, who won the bronze medal in the 67kg weight class.
In a press statement, Al Hajri said that the Qatar team players performed well, but the lack of experience prevented them from advancing further in the competitions and winning more medals.
He added that the federation will work during the coming period to implement preparation programmes and internal and external camps to develop the players' level and gain more experience.
Qatar team coach Mustafa Ahmamy praised the performance of Al Natsheh, stressing that he deserved to get a better medal, especially since he tied the score with the Kuwaiti champion who won the gold and was eliminated in the semi-finals by only a slight advantage.