Tribune News Network
Hangzhou
Qatar’s volleyball team has stormed into the semi-finals of the 19th Asian as Qatar’s handball team made a winning start to their campaign in Hangzhou on Sunday.
In the men’s volleyball, Qatar qualified for the semi-finals beating Pakistan 3-1 (26-24, 25-19, 23-25, 25-18) in an hour and 50 minutes at the China Textile City Sports Centre Gymnasium.
Youssef Oughlaf and Raimi Wadidie were the highest scorers for Qatar with 16 points each while Belal Abunabot and Mohamed Ibrahim scored 12 points each. Renan Rebeiro fetched 10 points.
Qatar will now meet Iran in the semi-final at the Linping Sports Centre Gymnasium hall on Monday.
Meanwhile in men’s handball, defending champions Qatar beat Hong Kong 36-18 in their handball Group B preliminary match at the Zhejiang Gongshang University Sports Centre.
Qatar dominated the match from the very start and Ahmad Madadi scored 8 points from nine shots at the goal while pivot Rafael Capote slammed in six out of his six attempts. Qatar led 20-11 at half time.
For Hong Kong, Sze Ming Kuo, Kin Wong and Man Yik Kan scored 4 points each. Qatar will next play the Republic of Korea on September 27 (Wednesday) at 4pm Hangzhou time.
Qatar had defeated Bahrain in Jakarta Games in 2018 to win the gold, while four years ago, Team Qatar found their way to the final and won the Asian Games 2014 title after defeating South Korea in Incheon 2014.
In the men’s beach volleyball, Qatar’s ace pair of Cherif Younousse and Tijan Ahmed continued their dominant show as they beat Oman’s Ahmed Al Housni and Haitham Al Shereiqi in straight sets 21-13, 21-14 in 31 minutes in the Round of 16.
In the quarter-final on Monday, the 2018 gold medallist Cherif and Ahmed will play Iran’s Shoukati and Salemmiinjehboroun at the Ningbi Banbianshan Beach Volleyball Centre at 8pm Hangzhou time.
In the other men’s round of 16 beach volleyball match, Qatar’s Abdallah Nassim and Ahmed Mahmoud lost to China’s Jie Li and Yanwei Wang 12-21, 15-21.
In tennis, Qatar’s Mubarak Shannon prevailed over Thailand’s Palaphoom Kovapitukted in the men’s singles opening round at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre courts. Mubarak led 7-5 when his opponent retired.
Qatar is participating at the Games with a delegation of 185 male and female athletes competing in 27 disciplines.
China’s gold rush
Meanwhile, hosts China won the first gold medal of the Hangzhou Asian Games and then cleaned up in the swimming events on Sunday, breaking several records in the process.
By the end of a highly successful day one for the hosts, they had pocketed 20 of 31 golds, while their nearest challengers South Korea had five.
China’s medal rush began when Zou Jiaqi and Qiu Xiuping dominated the women’s lightweight double sculls rowing for the first gold of the Games, finishing almost 10 seconds ahead of Uzbekistan.
It was especially satisfying for Zou, who hails from Hangzhou. "I am very excited as it’s my first Asian Games,” she said, clutching her gold medal.
The home nation won six of the seven golds at the Fuyang Water Sports Centre rowing venue with only Hong Kong’s Lam San-tung and Wong Wai-chun getting in on the party by winning the men’s pairs.
More golds rolled in for China in shooting, modern pentathlon, wushu and artistic gymnastics.