SPORTSOTORSPORTS | Page 3 Uchimura’S Qatar’S Exit Clouds Al-Attiyah Bright Start Clinches for Japanese Late Win
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GGYMNASTICSYMNASTICS | Page 2 MMOTORSPORTSOTORSPORTS | Page 3 Uchimura’s Qatar’s exit clouds al-Attiyah bright start clinches for Japanese late win Sunday, July 25, 2021 WEIGHTLIFTING Dhul-Hijjah 15, 1442 AH India’s Olympic GULF TIMES hero Mirabai says Tokyo silver built on Rio failure SP RT Page 4 Sheikh Joaan meets Kuwait Olympic Committee chief, visits Qatar athletes at Olympic Village Qatar Olympic Committee President HE Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad al-Thani visited Qatar athletes and delegation at the Olympic Village in Tokyo yesterday. Sheikh Joaan met Qatar stars and urged them to do their best and do their nation proud at Olympics. Sheikh Joaan toured the Qatari quarters at the Olympic Village and commended the off icials for their eff orts in ensuring a comfortable stay for the athletes. Qatar Olympic Committee President HE Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad al-Thani met President of Kuwait Olympic Committee Sheikh Fahad Nasser al-Sabah during the Olympic Games in Tokyo yesterday. The meeting reviewed aspects of sports co-operation and ways to support and develop them. The meeting was attended by Secretary-General of Qatar Olympic Committee HE Jassim Rashid al-Buenain and ambassador of the State of Qatar to Japan Hassan bin Mohamed al-Emadi. FOCUS Younousse eyes glory in Tokyo aft er Rio disappointment Qatar’s beach volleyball duo Younousse and Tijan begin their campaign today By Yash Mudgal and swimmer Abdulaziz al-Obaidly Doha joined the national contingent in To- kyo yesterday. t may not be easy for Qatar’s BEACH VOLLEYBALL GROUPS Cherif Younousse to let go of the Group A: Mol A./Sorum C. (NOR), Se- memories of the 2016 Rio Ol- ympic Games. Younousse and menov/Leshukov (ROC), Herrera/Ga- Ihis partner Jeff erson Santos Pereira vira (ESP), McHugh/Schumann (AUS) were one of Qatar’s medal hopes fi ve Group B: Krasilnikov/Stoyanovskiy years ago. But, perhaps, bogged down (ROC), Perusic/Schweiner (CZE), by the pressure of competing in the Plavins/Tocs (LAT), Gaxiola/Rubio world’s biggest sporting event in their maiden appearances they failed to (MEX) MEDALS reach the beach volleyball podium. Group C: Cherif/Ahmed (QAT), Gibb/ TALLY The Rio Games ended on a disap- Crabb Ta. (USA), Carambula/Rossi pointing note for 21-year-old You- (ITA), Heidrich/Gerson (SUI) Country G S B T nousse, as he and his partner fi nished Group D: Alison/Alvaro Filho (BRA), ninth after two wins and two losses. Brouwer/Meeuwsen (NED), Lucena/ China 3 0 1 4 Since that disappointment of fi ve Japan 1 1 0 2 years ago, Younousse has a new part- Dalhausser (USA), Azaad/Capogrosso ner – Ahmed Tijan – and the pair has (ARG) South Korea 1 0 2 3 taken big strides in the sport, having E - Fijalek/Bryl (POL), Evandro/Bruno Ecuador 1 0 0 1 fi rmly established as one of the medal Schmidt (BRA), Grimalt M./Grimalt E. Hungary 1 0 0 1 contenders at the Tokyo Olympics. Qatar’s Cherif Younousse is confident (CHI), Elgraoui/Abicha (MAR) Iran 1 0 0 1 “For me, it’s very important to go of a podium finish at Tokyo Games. Qatar’s Ahmed Tijan trains at the Shiokaze Park in Tokyo yesterday. Kosovo 1 0 0 1 back to the Olympics and perform better than I did at the previous Ol- zerland. The Qatari pair will start Schumann yesterday. Younousse and Thailand 1 0 0 1 ympics,” Cherif said before leaving their campaign against Switzerland’s Tijan had lost back-to-back fi nals Russian OC 0 1 1 2 for Tokyo. Younousse and Tijan, the Adrian Heidrich and Mirco Gerson at to the Norwegian pair at FIVB Word Serbia 0 1 1 2 third seeds in Tokyo, have medalled at Tokyo’s Shiokaze Park today at 11am. Tour 4-star event at the Cancun Hub. Belgium 0 1 0 1 more FIVB World Tour than any other Twenty-four teams are divided Beach volleyball at Tokyo 2020 is due Taiwan 0 1 0 1 team this year and will attempt to be- into six pools of four teams each. to run through to August 7. come the fi rst team from Middle East The top two teams from each group India 0 1 0 1 to win medal in Olympic volleyball and the four best third-placed teams JUDOKA AL-IDRISI IN Italy 0 1 0 1 history. The pair has played fi nals of from across the six pools qualify for ACTION TODAY Netherlands 0 1 0 1 the last fi ve World Tour events out of the last 16. The Qatari pair could face Ayoub al-Idrisi will make history Romania 0 1 0 1 fi ve and emerged champions in two. a challenge from top seeds and world today becoming the fi rst Qatari ju- Spain 0 1 0 1 Talking about their chances at the number one ranked pair Anders Mol doka to feature in Olympics. The judo Tokyo Games, the 26-year-old You- and Christian Sorum of Norway, who competition will be held at Nippon Estonia 0 0 1 1 nousse sounded confi dent. “This are also aiming to turn their suc- Budokan Complex and al-Idrisi will France 0 0 1 1 time I am with a diff erent partner, but cess on the World Tour into Olympic compete in U-66kg category. Indonesia 0 0 1 1 it’s much better. I think we can do well gold. Since 2018, Mol and Sorum have Meanwhile, rower Tala Abujbara Israel 0 0 1 1 at the Olympics and we are going for claimed 13 gold medals in world tour was in action yesterday for a second Kazakhstan 0 0 1 1 the medals,” he said. events and won the 2019 world cham- consecutive day and fi nished third in Mexico 0 0 1 1 Younousse and Tijan are grouped pionship. women’s single sculls (repechages) with World No 5 Jacob Gibb and Tay- The Norwegian pair began their with a time of 8:16.88. She failed to Mongolia 0 0 1 1 lor Crabb of the United States, World quest to deliver Norway’s fi rst Olym- qualify for the quarter-fi nals and will Slovenia 0 0 1 1 No 18 Adrian Carambula and Enrico pic medal in the sport with a 21-18, be in action today in the semi-fi nal Switzerland 0 0 1 1 Rossi of Italy and World No 19 Adrian 18-21, 15-13 victory over Australia’s E/F, which is a classifi cation race. Qatar’s rower Tala Abujbara in action during the women’s single sculls Ukraine 0 0 1 1 Heidrich and Mirco Gerson of Swit- Christopher McHugh and Damien Star weightlifter Fares Ibrahim repechage round at the Sea Forest Waterway in Tokyo yesterday. (Reuters) Gulf Times 2 Sunday, July 25, 2021 SPOTLIGHT DRESSAGE Rein it in? You’ve got Uchimura’s exit to be joking says Aussie icon Hanna AFP later Hanna made the fi rst of Tokyo what is now six Olympic Games appearances — her best indi- clouds bright start vidual fi nish up to this edition ustralian dressage rider was 24th in Atlanta in 1996 and Mary Hanna — at 66 a team placing of fi fth in Sydney the oldest competitor four years later. Undeterred by at the Tokyo Olympics her performance in Tokyo, Han- A— says there are more chapters to na sees Paris in 2024 as the next be added to her biography A Long stop on her Olympic journey. “I for Japan gymnasts Rein despite a disappointing per- am aiming for Paris as it is only formance yesterday. Riding Ca- three years away and unless my lanta, Hanna fi nished sixth in her body breaks down I am certainly group of nine riders after posting going to be there,” she said. “This ‘Even getting selected for the Japanese team was hard enough this time’ a score of 67.981%, with only the may be the latest chapter to add top two from the six groups plus to my book but there are a few AFP the next best six fi nishers quali- more to come.” Tokyo Japan’s Kohei Uchimura reacts after fying for Wednesday’s individual In a sport in which horse and falling down during the horizontal fi nal. rider must be in perfect bars gymnastics men’s qualification In the fi rst action of the harmony, Hanna has a spe- apanese gymnastics star Kohei at the Ariake Gymnastics Centre in equestrian programme, cial relationship with her Uchimura crashed out of the Tokyo Tokyo yesterday. (AFP) three groups competed charges. She once saved Games on day one yesterday when yesterday with the riders in her horses when they were he was eliminated from the hori- the other three — including threatened by bushfi res in Jzontal bar competition to dash his dream Britain’s Charlotte Dujardin, who 1983. “Sadly they have all passed of ending his decorated career with a is bidding for a third successive away now,” she said. fourth Olympic gold. The all-around individual gold medal — going “However, I have a special 2012 and 2016 Olympic champion’s crash through their various “Piaff es” connection with Calanta, she is a landing stole unwanted headlines in a and “Half Passes” today. Making really sweet lovely horse.” men’s qualifying session where Japan kept up for the lack of a paying crowd Looking to the future, she China and Russia at bay ahead of Mon- at this largely spectator-free laughed that it was too late in life day’s defence of their team title.