GULF TIMES FOOTBALL Al Sadd Face a Daunting Task Against Iran Giants
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CRICKET | Page 4 TENNIS | Page 5 Four overs for Players must one run: Irfan withstand breaks T20 test of time at record US Open Monday, August 27, 2018 FORMULA 1 Dhul-Hijja 16, 1439 AH Vettel triumphs in GULF TIMES Belgian Grand Prix to cut Hamilton lead SPORT Page 6 FOCUS Haroun, Ashraf give Qatar golden momentum Gold medallist Qatar’s Abdalelah Haroun celebrates during the podium ceremony for the men’s 400m during the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta yesterday. (AFP) Tosin adds 100m silver medal to Qatar’s haul By Anil John 400m and hammer throw respectively always confi dent of success in the Asian Jakarta at the Asian Games yesterday. Games as I had trained hard for the Sprinter Tosin Ogunode also joined event. It was hot here, not that I have the party with a silver in the 100m as any complaints,” Haroun, a former jun- wo Qatar fi nally got into the groove, eight ior world champion, said after clocking down, days after the second-biggest multi- 44.89 seconds, ahead of India’s Yahiya sev- sport event in the world was formally Mohamed Anas (45.69) and Bahrain’s eral declared open in the sprawling Indone- Ali Khamis (45.70). moreT to go. sian capital. Hopefully. Yesterday’s haul took the country’s Qatar would be tally to fi ve – Hamad al-Marri and Fares aiming to fi nish con- Ibrahim had earlier bagged a bronze and siderably higher than silver in shooting and weightlifting, their current 20th respectively – and brought a sense of place on the medals relief to the contingent that had been table after Abdalelah doing its best to hide its despair at not Haroun and Ashraf hearing the national anthem at medal Elseify delivered ceremonies during the fi rst week of the a gold each Games. in the It was perhaps apt that the fi rst gold came from Haroun, a humble, ever- smiling bloke who is yet to overcome his shyness while facing the media de- spite some pretty signifi cant successes on the world stage. Haroun is all of 21, but holds a promise that seems to be set in stone. If anything, yesterday’s victory only re-emphasised Qatar’s Ashraf Elseify celebrates after winning the hammer throw final at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta yesterday. (AFP) that. He was the fa- vourite in the 400m “It’s a great honour to win the gold “Every athlete likes to excel in front spirited home crowd as Lalu Mohamed “Ten seconds is pretty good but to at the Asian Games for Qatar, especially the fi rst gold for of his own home crowd and that is what Zohri, the 18-year-old junior world be able to win the gold you have to go considering his recent the country at these Games. I hope it’s I am also aiming for. There’s still a year champion, could only fi nish seventh regularly under 10 seconds. That will be exploits, and it was no the start of many more to come in the remaining for that but I will use all the despite a personal best of 10.20. The my aim going forward,” he added. surprised he lived remaining days of the event,” he added. intervening events to tune up for the big stadium throbbed with loud cheers Elseify, meanwhile, was also basking up to the Also a bronze winner at the senior one in Qatar.” from the Indonesians as the race began, in the glory of his success in the ham- billing. IAAF World Championships in Lon- A couple of hours later, it was the but Zohri lagged behind from the start mer throw after a best eff ort of 76.88 “I don last year, Haroun had qualifi ed for unheralded Tosin’s turn to shine as the and faded out of contention. metres with his fi fth attempt. was the fi nal in Jakarta on Saturday with the 24-year-old pushed Chinese favourite Tosin was always wary of the huge “It’s a culmination of several months third-best time 0f 45.83 seconds, be- Su Bingtian before settling for silver in expectations from him because he of hard work. The main target now is hind India’s Anas (45.30) and Bahrain’s the 100m with a time of 10 seconds in a was hoping to follow in the footsteps the World Championships in Doha next Abbas Abbas (45.59). close fi nish with Japan’s Ryota Yamaga- of Femi, who had ruled the sprints in year,” the 23-year-old said. But running in lane three, he was ta, who was also credited with the same Incheon as well as in Guangzhou in Dilshod Nazarov of Turkmenistan quick to stamp his authority in the fi - time. 2010. won the silver with a throw of 74.16m, nal, and by the time the race was past Su timed 9.92 seconds for a new “My brother is a big star and I have while Sukhrob Khodjaev of Uzbekistan the 200m mark there was no doubt who Games record, eclipsing Tosin’s older learned a lot from him. He always gives took bronze with 74.06m. the winner would be as he turned the brother Femi’s mark of 9.93 set four me good advice, but most importantly Qatar can add one more gold in ath- tables on Anas and Abbas. years ago in Incheon. he tells me to go out and do your best,” letics today with Abderrahman Samba Haroun said his aim was to win the “Time is not important. What is im- Tosin said. clocking the best time of 49.34 seconds gold at the IAAF World Champion- portant is the victory,” the 28-year-old Tosin has had his share of injury in qualifying for the 400m hurdles fi - ships in Doha next year. Su said. “A good start was the key and problems with the result that he missed nal. once I got that I was sure I couldn’t be several important events. In fact, the Dharun Ayyaswamy of India with Qatar’s Tosin Ogunode celebrates beaten,” added Su, who twice ran the entry list for the 100m at the Asian 49.55 and Takatoshi Abe of Japan with his silver medal in the men’s 100m 100m under 10 seconds in June. Games had left the space for his per- 49.71 were second and third respec- event in Jakarta yesterday. (AFP) There was a disappointment for the sonal best time blank. tively. Gulf Times 2 Monday, August 27, 2018 ASIAN GAMES ROUND-UP Another Samba springs to medal contention for Qatar Qatar’s beach volleyball team, comprising Samba and Janko, romp to semis victory to earn a crack at gold Abdalelah Haroun opened the gold medal account for Qatar by winning the 400m event yesterday. Qatar’s Cherif Samba (left) in action during the men’s beach volleyball semi-final against China in Palembang yesterday. By Anil John Jakarta atar will most likely win the 400m hurdles gold medal at the Asian Games today with Ab- Qderrahman Samba being the hot favourite. But while the hurdling sensa- tion is always in the limelight because of the coverage athletics gets on the global stage, another Samba — Cherif — had been quietly fl ying under the radar and knocking off his rivals, with Ahmed Janko as his partner in Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) second vice president and Qatar Athletics Federation (QAF) president Dr Thani al-Kuwari (fourth from right), crime. QOC secretary-general Jassim al-Buenain (centre), director of sports Khalil al-Jabir (left), QAF secretary-general Mohamed Essa al-Fadala (third The Samba-Janko combine is Qatar’s Thulasimaaran Tharumalingam stormed into the last eight of from left), Qatar Equestrian Federation president Hamad al-Attiyah (second from right), and other off icials stand as the Qatari national anthem much-feared in beach volleyball the men’s 69kg boxing division with a win yesterday. played during the medal ceremony for men’s 400m athletics event, which was won by Abdalelah Haroun yesterday. circles. At the Asian Games, they have swatted aside all opposi- Mohamed Ashfi ya tomorrow in Despite their longer reach, they Qatar also has a medal pros- sour al-Rashidi of Kuwait, while Moustafa Fouda had fi ve apiece. Bahrain against Japan, with the tion with the kind of disdain you Palembang. were often left connecting thin pect in boxer Thulasimaaran China’s Jin Di and the UAE’s Saif Qatar had already bowed out gold medal match set for August would normally associate with Rachmawan and Ashfi ya had air during their clash with the Tharumalingam, who stormed al-Mansouri took the silver and of contention in 5x5 basketball 31. heavyweight boxers. accounted for another Indone- Qataris yesterday. into the last eight of the men’s bronze, respectively. after losing to Chinese Taipei on In equestrianism, Qatar’s Ha- Yesterday, they were at it sian pair, Gilang Ramadhan and “A gold is what we came for 69kg weight division with a 5-0 Qatar’s 3x3 basketball team Saturday. mad al-Attiyah, Salman al-Su- again, with China’s Peng Gao and Danangsyah Yudistre Pribadi, in here. It would be a huge disap- win on points over Nepal’s Bish- also crashed out of medal con- Meanwhile, Qatar’s handball waidi, Sheikh Ali al-Thani and Yang Li at the receiving end of the other semi-fi nal, winning 21- pointment if we have to settle for nuprasad Gurung. tention after a 21-18 defeat to team will be taking on South Bassem Mohamed are among 68 their relentless aggression.