Qatar Triumphs in 3×3 Basketball Opener at Islamic Solidarity Games
Qatar’s men’s 3×3 basketball team made a strong start to their campaign at the Islamic Solidarity Games in Riyadh, securing a commanding 21-13 victory over Ivory Coast on Monday. The Qatari squad, featuring Dejan Janic, Ahmed Mohammed, Nadim Muslic, and Miho Harasic, showcased cohesive team play and sharp shooting to dominate the Group Stage encounter.
The team will look to maintain their momentum today with challenging matches against Turkey and Iran as the group stage continues. Only the top two teams from each group will advance to tomorrow’s finals, setting high stakes for Qatar’s remaining fixtures.
In the women’s 3×3 basketball event, Qatar suffered a setback, falling 11-16 to Algeria in their opening match. The women’s team, comprising Alaa Sulaiman, Mona Sulaiman, and Sama Jasser, will aim to stay alive in the competition with key clashes today against Iran and Egypt.
Qatar Handball Continues Dominance
Meanwhile, Qatar’s men’s handball team is cruising through the competition. Having already sealed top spot in Group A with emphatic victories over Iran (39-23) and the UAE (41-24), Qatar face the Maldives today in a final group match largely viewed as a formality.
The Maldives have struggled throughout the tournament, enduring heavy defeats of 10-53 to the UAE and 14-57 to Iran. Qatar are therefore strong favorites to make it a clean sweep in the group stage ahead of tomorrow’s semi-finals.
Elsewhere in Group A, the UAE and Iran will go head-to-head to determine the second semi-finalist. In Group B, upcoming fixtures between Bahrain and Iraq, and Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, will decide the other two semifinal qualifiers.
Qatar will look to defend the gold medal they claimed at the 2022 Games in Konya, Turkey, where they beat the host nation 26-23 in a thrilling final.
Hammer Throw Results for Qatar
In athletics, Qatar’s Ashraf Al Saifi and Ahmed Al Saifi concluded their efforts in the men’s hammer throw at Prince Faisal bin Fahd Sports City. Ashraf placed fifth with a solid throw of 71.59m, while Ahmed finished sixth with 66.87m.
Qatar’s track and field presence continues today with Ahmed Jibril competing in the shot put final. On the track, Ashraf Osman and Hussein Ibrahim will take part in the first round of the 400m, and Abubaker Haidar will race in the 800m heats.
In para athletics, Abdulrahman Abdulqader recorded a toss of 27.55m in the F33/F34 discus throw, placing him sixth overall.
Mixed Results in Fencing
Qatar’s fencers produced a valiant effort in the men’s epee competition held at Riyadh Boulevard. Mohammed Abdul Ali reached the quarter-finals but bowed out after a close 13-15 defeat to Azerbaijan’s Vahab Fatullayev. Earlier, Abdul Ali beat Iran’s Amir Hossein (5-3), Oman’s Ahmed Kaskas (4-2), and Libya’s Ahmed Al Sahiri (15-1). He also suffered narrow group-stage setbacks to Uzbekistan’s Mirikhan Teymurov (3-5) and Turkey’s Doruk Erolsevik (1-4).
His teammate, Abdulrahman Al Jadra, advanced to the round of 16, where he was edged out 14-15 by Abdul Ali. Before that, Al Jadra notched impressive wins over rivals from Indonesia, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Cameroon, and Pakistan, including a dominant 15-1 victory over Ahmed Khan of Pakistan.
Fencing competition resumes today with Adham Al Deeb and Khaled Aref Hussein set to contest the men’s individual foil, while Dhikra Al Abdullah and Sheikha Jassim represent Qatar in the women’s individual epee.
Team V.DIR-EM-UAE
