(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Fawad Hussain |
The Peninsula
Three-time high-jump world champion Mutaz Barshim yesterday cruised into the final while Abderrahman Samba topped the field in men's 400m hurdles heat as Qatar's track and field athletes raised medals hopes at the Hangzhou Asian Games.
Also advancing in the final at Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre Stadium yesterday was Abdirahman Hassan, who will aim for a medal in men's 800m event while Bassem Hemeida will join Samba in today's hurdles final after he topped his heat.
Barshim, who returned to action after winning the Zurich Diamond League meet early last month, needed a solitary jump as he cleared 2.19m to top his qualifying group.
The reigning Olympic champion could have sealed his fourth Diamond League trophy in Eugene finale but he skipped the event to prepare for the Asian Games as he targets his third gold medal after triumphs in 2010 and 2014.
“For me, the Asian Games are important. You see these vibes, it's like our Olympics before the Olympics,” Barshim said yesterday.
“The stadium is amazing, the crowd is amazing. This is the last competition of the season, hopefully I will finish on top,” he said.
Barshim's main rival in tomorrow's final will be Woo Sang-hyeok, who clinched the Diamond League trophy in Eugene. The South Korean qualified for the final with a 2.15m jump.
Yesterday, Asian record holder Samba topped his heat with a time of 49.12 secs to stay on course for his second successive gold following win in 2018 when he set the Asian Games record with a 47.66 secs run. Hemeida also emerged fastest in his heat with a time of 49.44 secs.
Meanwhile, Hassan was fastest in his heat with a time of 1:49.32 secs as he reached the final. But his teammate, Abubaker Abdalla just missed berth for men's 800m final after he finished third in his heat, clocking 1:50.17 secs.
In discus throw final yesterday, Qatar's Moaaz Ibrahim had to settle for fourth place with a mark of 61. Iran's Hossein Rasouli (62) and Ehsan Hadadi (61) won gold and silver medals while China's Tuergong Abuduaini (61) secured bronze in the event.
Sprinter Femi Ogunode missed a medal by a fraction as he finished fourth in men's 200m final, won by Japan's Koki Ueyama with a time of 20.60 secs. Ogunode, who holds the Asian Games record of 20.14 secs he set at Incheon 2014, clocked 20.74 secs with Saudi Arabia's Abdullah Abkar Mohammed (20.63 secs) and Chinese Taepei's Chun-Han Yang (20.74 secs) sealing silver and bronze medals respectively.
Qatar's athletics squad has so far won two medals in Hangzhou including a 1500m gold for Mohamad Al Garni and a silver medal by Ashraf Amgad Elseify in hammer throw.
Al Tamimi moves into quarters
Qatar's top ranked squash player Abdulla Al Tamimi entered the quarter-final of men's singles after defeating Pakistan's Nasir Iqbal 11-9, 11-8, 11-6 at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre.
Amjad Syed, however, crashed out of the competition after being outclassed by Malaysia's Eain Yow NG 11-3, 11-1, 11-2 in the Round of 16.
Also yesterday, Philippines shattered Qatar's hopes of a basketball medal with an 80-41 win as both sides fought for a place in the quarter-final at Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre Gymnasium.
Meanwhile, Qatar's handball team will take on Kuwait in the semi-final today, targeting a place in the final to be played on Thursday.
The other semi-final will be played between Bahrain and Japan.
Qatar have so far won an overall seven medals including two gold, three silver and two bronze medals at the ongoing Asian Games.
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