(MENAFN- Muscat Daily) Oman's disappointing campaign at the fifth Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games concluded in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, on Thursday when the women's pair of Fatma al Nabhani and Sarah al Balushi made a tame exit in the first round of the tennis doubles event.
A half-fit Fatma and Sarah lost to the Indonesian pair of Jessy Rompies and Lavinia Tananta 2-6, 2-6 to end Oman's participation at the Games.
Oman's main hopes for a medal were on sprinter Barakat al Harthi and Fatma but both failed to win any medals in their respective 60m and tennis singles events.
While Barakat missed the podium by a whisker finishing fourth in the 60m final after running his personal best in the semifinal heats, Fatma, who was seeded third, blamed her shock first-round exit to Thailand's Chompoothip Jundakate, to a recurrence of back injury just days ahead of the Games.
Fatma had hoped to recover from her back injury during a two-day break between her singles exit and Thursday's match. However, it didn't happen as Fatma and Sarah could do little against the Indonesian duo.
The Oman Olympic Committee (OOC) had decided to send a small team of five athletes for the Games with Barakat and Ahmed al Saadi (400m) in athletics while Fatma was joined by Balushi sisters – Maryam and Sarah.
Saadi qualified for the finals of his event but finished last while Maryam and Fatma suffered first-round defeats followed by the early loss in doubles of Sarah and Fatma. Only Barakat's performance was encouraging as he recorded his personal best time of 6.66 seconds.
The OOC's planning and follow-up panel has sought a report from the chef-de-mission and respective associations on the performances and according to a top OOC official, who wished not to be named, 'there will be closer scrutiny in future for teams and athletes participating at international events'.
'We were very hopeful of medals at Ashgabat and it is really disappointing that our athletes have returned emptyhanded. We will seriously look into the poor display of our athletes,' said the OOC official.
MENAFN2509201701410000ID1095893697
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.