October 24, Manama (BNA): Under the sponsorship of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, Bahraini athletes maintained their high level of participation in the 3rd Asian Youth Games, which the Kingdom of Bahrain hosted till October 31. Strong performances were seen in a number of sports on the fifth day of events, including handball, beach volleyball, basketball, Muay Thai, and mixed martial arts (MMA).
Bahrain records strong performances across sports, handball team meets Jordan at 3rd Asian Youth Games
Four Bahraini competitors made it to the MMA finals. After defeating Amir Serik of Kazakhstan and Gibran Alfarizi of Indonesia, Abdulakim Babaev and Sultanakhmed advanced to the 65kg final, while Eldar Eldarov advanced to the 60kg final. Ibragim Khalidov defeated Darian Mustafin of Kazakhstan to secure his spot in the 70kg final.
Bahrain‘s young squad started the 3×3 basketball season with two victories, defeating Kyrgyzstan 21–5 and Indonesia 21–15 thanks to their constant control and well-coordinated play.
Tanishi Bhowmik advanced in Muay Thai after defeating Fatima Al Ammari of Saudi Arabia in the 54kg class.
Karrar Yaqoob and Hussain Al Warqaa’s boys’ beach volleyball team defeated the Maldives 2–1 (19–21, 21–12, 15–7) to gain their first victory. Mongolia nearly defeated the girls’ team 2–1 (21–5, 18–21, 15–1).
In futsal, Bahrain’s boys’ team fell to China 6–0 in a difficult group stage, while the ladies’ squad lost to Iran 14–0.
Mohammed Salmi and Abdullah Shaheen of Jordan defeated Yousif Ahmed and Yousif Qamber in the 48kg taekwondo division. In the under-44 kg division, Shehnaz Waheed of Oman defeated Shaikha Al Yaqoob, and in the under-63 kg division, Aisha Khalid was defeated by Shin Wing of Taiwan.
In sports, boxing, e-sports, golf, and triathlon continue, and Ibrahim Al Adeeb and Shaikha Ahmed are scheduled to compete in the 200-meter heats.
Bahrain’s third group-stage handball match against Jordan is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. at Khalifa Sports City Hall. With two victories under its belt, the squad hopes for a third to increase its chances of making it to the semifinals.
After a brief break, player Ahmed Hussain Eid stated that the team is ready and committed to keeping up its pace.
According to futsal coach Mohammed Abdulkareem, the team learned a lot from their first game against China and keeps getting better every time they play.
Yousif Yaqoob, a basketball player, expressed confidence in the team’s ability to stay focused in the next rounds, saying that the team’s early wins demonstrated its preparedness and collaboration.
