Younousse, Tijan eye second straight bronze

Paris: Qatar’s beach volleyball pair Cherif Younousse and Ahmed Tijan will be gunning for their second successive Olympic bronze at the Paris Games on Saturday. After going down in the semis on Thursday, the duo will take on defending champions Anders Mol and Christian Sorum of Norway in the bronze medal match on Saturday at 10pm. Younousse and Tijan had lost to Sweden’s David Ahman and Jonatan Hellvig 13-21, 17-21 in the semi-finals for their first defeat in six matches played in Paris. In the final, Ahman and Hellvig will take on Germany’s Nils Ehlers and Clemens Wickler. Meanwhile, top-seeded Brazilian pair Ana Patricia Silva and Eduarda Santos won gold in the women’s beach volleyball on Friday, finally nailing down victory after three tense sets in a bad-tempered game. The duo beat seventh-ranked Canadians Melissa Humana-Paredes and Brandie Wilkerson, who will take silver, by 15/10 in a decider match. The match was tetchy at times, with frequent challenges from both sides, repeated booing from the vociferous Brazilian fans, and at one point a row broke out between the four players over the net. Play was halted while the pair argued and gestured at each other, before the umpire waved a yellow card at both teams the four players returned to their halves with reluctant smiles while the crowd sang along.  

Younousse and Tijan lose in semis

Paris: Qatar’s Cherif Younousse and Ahmed Tijan went down to Sweden’s David Ahman and Jonatan Hellvig 13-21, 17-21 in the semi-finals of the beach volleyball at the Paris Olympic Games on Thursday. The 13th seeds will now take on defending champions Anders Mol and Christian Sorum of Norway in the bronze medal match tomorrow at 9pm. Younousse and Tijan had won bronze at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago. World No. 1 pair Ahman and Hellvig were in supreme form as they secured Sweden’s first-ever Olympic medal in beach volleyball and handed out Younousse and Tijan’s first defeat in six matches played in Paris. With Ahman spearheading the Swedish attack and Hellvig chipping in a couple of kill blocks, the duo mercilessly hammered out an emphatic first set win in a quite one-sided contest. Younousse and Tijan fought back in the second set, scoring five points in a row and broke away with an 8-4 lead. They kept in front until 11-8, when Ahman and Hellvig took their turn in scoring a five-point run to regain the lead. The Qatari team caught up momentarily at 13-13, but that was the last time the score was level. The Swedes broke away again and cruised on to a 21-17 close, crowned by a monster block from Hellvig for the match winner. The Swedish blocker finished with five stuffs and an ace towards a 16-point match high. Ahman added 14 kills in attack. Cherif and Ahmed scored 12 points apiece. “I think we had a really good match,” Ahman said. “We played really, really solid in our sideout, we believed in our game and really went for it every chance we had. I think it was really strong to come back from being down in the second set and how we managed to come back and win in straight sets.” “I can’t really believe it, but we’re in the final. It will take some time to realise that we made it,” added Hellvig. “If someone told us a few years ago that we would be in a final, I don’t think anyone would believe that. We have done it. It has been an incredible journey over the last few years and now we’re super proud that we made it to the final.” Earlier, in the first semi-final, Mol and Sorum were knocked out by Germany’s Nils Ehlers and Clemens Wickler 13-21, 21-17, 13-15. Ehlers, who stands at 6 feet 11 inches (2.11 metres), used his height and reach to great effect as Germany took the first set. But to the delight of their fans, some wearing Viking helmets, the Norwegian pair battled back to square the match. After a tight decider, a dramatic review challenge over a net fault ruled in favour of the German pair. The winners collapsed on the sand, with the stands shaking to the sound of thunderous stamping. After the match a visibly emotional Ehlers said he had “goosebumps and tears in my eyes”. “I almost have no words. We can go for gold. It’s incredible.”

Sheikh Joaan visits USA House in Paris

Paris: HE Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani, the President of the Qatar Olympic Committee, Friday visited the USA House in Paris on the sidelines of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. He was received by Gene Sykes, President of the US Olympic & Paralympic Committee and Member of the International Olympic Committee. HE Sheikha Hind bint Hamad Al Thani, Vice Chairperson and CEO of Qatar Foundation and HE Jassim bin Rashid Al Buenain, Secretary General of the Qatar Olympic Committee accompanied HE Sheikh Joaan During the visit, they reviewed aspects of sports cooperation between the two sides.

Fares eyes double Olympic glory in new weight class

Paris: Fares Ibrahim will be aiming to make history on Saturday as the weightlifter bids to become Qatar’s first two-time Olympic champion at the Paris Games on Saturday. Fares, who won gold at the Tokyo Games three years ago in the 96kg weight class, will compete in the 102kg class as his previous category has been eliminated. The 26-year-old faces stiff competition, notably from China’s world record holder Liu Huanhua, who is the overwhelming favourite to claim gold. Fares’ preparation for the event has been hampered by a hip injury, although he recently completed an extensive training camp in Italy. His training has been carefully monitored by his father and brother, both of whom have competed in the sport. Fares first made his Olympic debut in the 85kg category at the 2016 Rio Games, where he finished seventh. By the age of 20, he was already setting junior world records in the 96kg class and had earned a reputation for his prowess in the clean-and-jerk. He went on to set new Olympic records in both the clean-and-jerk and the overall total on his way to gold in Tokyo. However, Paris presents his toughest challenge yet, with a competitive field vying for medals. Leading the pack is China’s Liu, the only athlete to have bettered world standards at 102kg since the category came on to the programme in November 2018. Liu finished clear at the top of the rankings and has already shown he can do better. When he won 109kg gold at the Asian Games last October, where there was no 102kg category, he totalled 418kg despite weighing less than 102kg. That is 5kg more than his current world record. At the International Weightlifting Federation’s World Cup in April, where injury prevented Fares from competing, Liu’s 232kg clean-and-jerk lift rewrote the record books. The battle for the remaining medals could be one of the closest contests of the week in Paris. Alongside Liu and Fares, five other athletes have a realistic chance of reaching the podium: the Tokyo Games 109kg champion Akbar Djuraev of Uzbekistan, Garik Karapetyan from Armenia, Yauheni Tsikhantsou from Belarus, Jang Yeonhak from South Korea and Lesman Paredes from Bahrain. While Liu is the man to beat Saturday, Fares — Qatar’s first Olympic gold medallist, followed by high jump legend Mutaz Barshim in Tokyo — will be aiming to script another historic chapter.  

Golden farewell beckons for Barshim in Paris

Paris: Qatar’s track and field star Mutaz Barshim will be looking for a golden Olympics farewell when he goes up against Italian friend and foe Gianmarco Tamberi in the high jump final at the Paris Games 2024 on Saturday. Three years ago, Barshim and Tamberi shared the honours in the high jump final of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics after both athletes agreed not to go for a jump-off to decide the winner. With Barshim having already announced this will be his last Olympic Games appearance, the two fierce rivals will be seen competing for the gold one final time. A day before the start of the Olympic Games in Paris, Barshim said: “At this moment, in my career now, I’ve done so much. So, this Olympics to me is all about legacy.” If Barshim wins a medal on Saturday, it will follow his gold at Tokyo and silver medals at London 2012 and Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympic Games. The 33-year-old Qatari is a revered figure in world athletics having won an unprecedented three titles at the World Athletics Championships besides picking up Olympic Games medals regularly since 2012. He remains Qatar’s greatest athlete by far. On Wednesday, Barshim - whose brother is the goalkeeper with the Qatar national football side - braved calf discomfort to qualify for Satuday’s final that also features New Zealand’s Hamish Kerr, Shelby McEwan of the US, Woo Sanghyeok of South Korea, Ukraine’s Oleh Doroshchuk, Bulgaria’s Tihomir Ivanov and Japan’s Ryoichi Akamatsu. Barshim, who has had a patchy build up to the Paris Olympics because of fitness issues this season, on Wednesday nearly pulled out during the qualifying when he attempted to clear 2.27. After seeking medical attention, Barshim easily cleared 2.27 to reach Saturday’s final. Barshim, who managed jumps of 2.15m, 2.20m, and 2.27m, assured his fans of being ‘fully fit’ for the final. “I am fine. There is nothing to worry about,” Barshim said in a video message after qualifying for the final round on Wednesday. President of the Qatar Athletics Federation, Mohamed Issa al-Fadala said Barshim will be lining up to defend his title on Saturday. “Barshim will be fully prepared to compete in the high jump final on Saturday. The injury is minor one and will not prevent him from participating in the final, al-Fadala said on Thursday. Looking ahead to his bid to become the first man to retain the Olympic title, Tamberi said: “There is no expectation, there is hope and a dream. I want it so much, I sacrificed my life for this goal, so I will just come on Saturday with all my strength.” He added: “Nobody has done it before and there is a reason, it’s not easy. I’m just waiting for Saturday and hope it’s going to be better.” Tamberi’s Olympic defence was thrown into doubt just three days before the qualifying round when he was hospitalised. The high jumper posted a photo of himself in a hospital bed, revealing a suspected kidney stone. The unexpected health setback cast a shadow over his chances of competing in Paris, where he aimed to defend the gold medal he shared in Tokyo. “I can say good after the last few days, but I feel tired,” Tamberi said when asked about his morning’s work. “In the approach I can’t accelerate as I usually do. But in the past my qualification has never been good and then in the final something’s changed, so that’s the hope,” the Italian added. The final will kick off at 8:00pm Qatar Time.  

QOC delegation attends reception of Team Bahrain at Paris Olympics

Paris: The Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) President, His Excellency Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani, along with QOC Vice President, His Excellency Dr. Thani Al Kuwari, and QOC Secretary General, His Excellency Jassim Al Buenain, attended the Team Bahrain reception yesterday at the Paris 2024 Olympics. The event celebrated Bahrain’s participation in the Games and highlighted the importance of unity and cooperation among Gulf countries in promoting sportsmanship and excellence at the international level.