Qatar Set to Dominate the Gulf Again at the Asian Games, Qatar Have Traditionally Done Much Better Than Their Bigger Neighbours
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
NBA | Page 5 GOLF | Page 6 Curry’s 3-point DeChambeau dazzlers lift clinches Warriors Memorial title halfway to title in playoff Tuesday, June 5, 2018 CRICKET Ramadan 20, 1439 AH Pakistan skipper GULF TIMES Sarfraz proud of England draw SPORT Page 7 Qatar set to dominate the Gulf again At the Asian Games, Qatar have traditionally done much better than their bigger neighbours By Anil John athletes Sports Editor have been busy attend- physios and other ing various camps, ith the 18th Asian Games support staff could top fi ne tuning their bodies for in the Indonesian cities the 350 mark. the challenging task ahead. of Jakarta and Palem- “It’s safe to say that our delega- Al-Hashimi also said the bang less than three tion would be in the range of 350 year-long blockade imposed Wmonths away, Qatar have left no stone people. The exact number will be on Qatar by its neighbours has unturned in their quest to signifi cant- only known by mid-July because a had no impact on the prepara- ly improve upon their performance lot of things are still being fi nalised. tions for the Games. of 10 gold medals at the 2014 event in The respective federations are busy “Politics is one thing, sport is Incheon, South Korea. giving the fi nishing touches to their quite another. It has been Qa- The Qatar Olympic Commit- teams and other aspects of their tar’s policy never to mix the two,” tee’s (QOC) preparations for the preparations.” stressed al-Hashimi. continental sporting gala have been Six of Qatar’s 10 gold medals at “For sure the blockade makes no going on apace for several months the Incheon Asian Games came sense any which way you look at it, with the various federations tasked from track and fi eld and it’s only but we ensure that it never comes in with the responsibility of surpass- natural to expect the country’s trail- the way of our preparations. Also, ing their achievements in the 2014 blazing athletes, led of course by despite the issues on the diplomatic edition. Federation heads have been high jump world champion Mutaz and political front we still compete busy chalking up and implement- Barshim, to deliver the goods again. against the sportsmen from the Qatari athletes continue defying ing plans with the full backing of “Of course, our athletes are blockading countries. In that way, the QOC under the leadership of known all over the world. Barshim’s Qatar has not been impacted at all.” its President HE Sheikh Joaan bin domination of the high jump Elaborating on it he said that de- Hamad al-Thani as the country means Qatar is permanently in the spite the fact that the Saudi and UAE gravity and crossing hurdles seeks to prove its credentials as one spotlight when it comes to track and sports authorities tried their best to of the leading sporting nations of fi eld events across the world. Every have matches involving Qatari club ast year in April, Qatar’s Mutaz that 2017 was his fi fth consecutive sea- Ashgabat Asian Indoor Games in Turk- the continent. Qatari and Arab is proud of his teams in the Asian Champions League Essa Barshim began his season son of 2.40m jumps; a record streak for menistan in September. Qatar fi rst competed at the Asian achievements.” play at neutral venues, the Asian at the GCC Championships. any high jumper in history. He extended Haroun picked up gold in both the Games with a small delegation when Football Confederation (AFC) insisted The unbeaten season for the star the record to sixth straight season when events at the Asian Indoors in Tehran in the event was held in New Delhi in on maintaining the existing home and Lhigh jumper began with a 2.37m eff ort he jumped the height in the Diamond February this year, before topping 400m “Our preparations for the 1982. They won only one medal there Asian Games are now in the away format of the tournament. that earned him a win in Jeddah, Saudi League season-opener at home in Doha at Sao Bernardo do Campo in Brazil. – a bronze in pole vault – but ever fi nal stages. We have been The decision to have the matches Arabia. last month. He then stitched together a string of since that Qatar has developed by focusing on it for several played on a home and away basis as Less than two months later, the then To top his unrivalled season in 2017, top three results in Diamond League, leaps and bounds in every aspect of months now, giving our earlier only vindicated Qatar’s moral 25-year-old registered his fourth victory he was presented with the IAAF World fi nishing runner-up in Doha and Rome, human endeavour. So much so, that athletes the best of facilities high ground on the crisis. Qatari of the season at the Municipal Athletics Athlete of the Year (Male) award. and third in Shanghai. it has been setting benchmarks for and training opportunities,” clubs travelled to the blockading Stadium in Opole, Poland, on June 4, 2017. “I’m really happy, and so proud. It’s Another Qatari athlete who has been other countries in the Gulf to follow. said Ishaq al-Hashimi, the countries and teams from the UAE And even though a lot changed for a moment of honour,” he had said, once in blistering form, barring a blip in Lon- “Our preparations for the Asian Chef de Mission of the Qatari and Saudi Arabia also visited Doha his country, for the GCC, for the region, told that he was the fi rst high jumper to don last year, is Abderrahman Samba. Games are now in the fi nal stages. contingent without any problems. the next day, what didn’t change was win the best male athlete accolade. “It’s Samba had four straight 400m We have been focusing on the event And, in what could be called poetic Barshim’s quest for success and his desire breaking ground. It shows if you work hurdles victories — two in South Africa, for several months now, giving our Barring illness or injury, justice, none of the clubs from Saudi to keep the Qatar fl ag fl uttering high. hard, have the right team around you, one at Doha Diamond League and one in athletes the best of facilities and Barshim’s gold medal is almost a Arabia and the UAE qualifi ed for the Barshim, an alumnus of Qatar’s ac- everything is possible.” Karlstad in Sweden — in the run-up to training opportunities,” said Ishaq certainty but that several other quarter-fi nals of the lucrative tourna- claimed Aspire Academy, then travelled He had none other than the Qatar London Worlds, where disaster struck al-Hashimi, the Chef de Mission of athletes are also capable of stellar ment, while two teams from Qatar to Norway for the Oslo Bislett Games, Olympic Committee (QOC) president for the then 22-year-old. the Qatari contingent that will take achievements. – Al Sadd and Al Duhail – easily made to France for the Paris meeting and to HE Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad al-Thani Just as he was readying for the fi nal part in the Games. Among them are Abderrah- the cut and now are in contention for Sweden for the Hassleholm HAIS-spelen, for company when he received the award push for a medal, Samba hit the fi nal Al-Hashimi, a former table tennis man Samba, the sensational 400m the prestigious trophy. notching up victories in the run-up to the at a star-studded gala in Monaco. hurdle, struggling for balance, and set- player who represented Qatar at the hurdler and 400m fl at specialist The situation could be somewhat IAAF World Championships in London. The 2018 season began with a win at tling for a seventh place fi nish. international level, is confi dent that Abdalelah Haroun. similar at the Asian Games where In London, on August 13, Barshim the Tehran Asian Indoor Championships Samba, however, bounced back with a Qatar would beat their Asian Games Samba, just about 23, shot to traditionally Qatar have done much became the world champion for the fi rst and in Malmo, Sweden, also indoors, be- win in the Zagreb World Challenge later best of 10 gold medals when they prominence at the Diamond League better than their bigger neighbours time with a 2.35m eff ort. sides two second-places at the Banska- in August. compete in the Games which will be meeting in Doha in 2017 where he at the Asian Games. “I was so determined to win it,” Bystrica High Jump Meeting in Slovakia This year, Samba has been unbeaten, held from August 18 to September 2. defeated a star-studded line-up to At the Incheon Games four years Barshim had said after his win in and World Indoors in Birmingham. and at the moment has the world leading “For sure, that is one of our ob- win the 400m hurdles in front of a ago, Saudi Arabia managed just three London. “I was expecting it tonight so Barshim has since gone unbeaten in time in 400m hurdles to his name, having jectives. With every event we want capacity crowd. gold medals along with three silver I am glad I managed to fulfi l my target the two Diamond League appearances — gone from strength to strength from 47.90 to improve exponentially. Sport is He defended his Doha title in and one bronze.