Samba targets medal after reaching semis

Paris: Qatar’s Abderrahman Samba qualified for the semi-finals of the 400m hurdles at the Paris Olympic Games yesterday. At the Stade de France stadium, Samba came third running in Heat 2 alongside Norwegian world and Olympic record holder Karsten Warholm in a time of 48.35 seconds. Warholm won the heat in an impressive 47.57 secs, while France’s Clement Ducos was second in 47.69 ahead of Samba. Both Warholm and Ducos are considered strong contenders for the medals, alongside Brazil’s Alison Santos and America’s Rai Benjamin. In the semis, Samba – who has struggled with injuries in recent times – will have to be at his best if he has to progress into the final. Samba made his return from the recent lay-off at the Stockholm Diamond League in June clocking 49.69 secs. But he showed improvement winning the Meeting Madrid with a time of 47.97. In July, he clocked 48.27 at Monaco Diamond League. The two-time Asian Games champion and 2019 World Championships bronze medallists though was confident of not just qualifying for the final but also winning a medal. Samba had finished fifth in Tokyo Olympics. “I’m happy with this result. Good preparation for the semi-final is crucial to achieve my goal of winning a medal. The semi-final race will be more challenging. I hope for success in the semi-final and to achieve the best time to get one step closer to the desired goal,” the 28-year-old said.  

Bassem Hemeida to participate in repechage round

Paris: Bassem Hemeida will participate in the 400m hurdles repechage round at the Paris 2024 Olympics on Tuesday.   Hemeida finished fifth in Heat 1 yesterday with a season best time of 49.82 seconds but that was not enough for automatic qualification. The semi-final round includes 24 runners divided into 3 groups, with the first and second place finishers qualifying for the final. There is another opportunity through repechage for runners to compete for qualification to the semi-finals.

Younousse-Tijan to take on Chile’s Grimalt cousins

Paris: Qatar’s Cherif Younousse and Ahmed Tijan will take on Chile’s Marco Grimalt and Esteban Grimalt today in the round of 16 of the beach volleyball competition at the Paris Games 2024. Younousse and Tijan started their Paris campaign with three wins out of three in the pool stage, the second on Monday when they came from a set down to beat top-ranked Swedes David Ahman and Jonatan Hellvig. The Chile’s cousins finished in third place in Group B after securing only one victory against Italy’s Samuel Cottafava and Paul Nicolai 2-0, while losing to Norway’s D Ahman and J Hellvig 0-2 and Australian M. Nicolaidis and I. Carracher with the same score. The Chile pair advanced after Canada’s Samuel Schachter and Daniel Dearing forfeited in the ‘lucky losers’ clash’. Having topped their group, Younousse and Tijan should have plenty of confidence heading into the round of 16. However, They are not getting carried away with their start at the spectacular venue in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower. “I would say for us, the big goal is to play well and the results will come,” Younousse said yesterday. “We have nothing to lose. We must enjoy and play very well and anything we achieve we are thankful for.”

Qatar’s Ismail to begin 400m Challenge at Paris 2024 Olympics

PARIS -  Team Qatar- middle distance runner,  Ammar Ismail all set to  raise the scale of challenge this Sunday evening when he competes against top world sprinters in the men’s 400m at Paris 2024 Olympics. Qatar’s Ismail hopeful to a set better time  that will  help him reaching the finals and to compete for one of  medals of the podium. Most notably, Ismail had rounded the corner by winning the gold medal in 2023 Asian Indoor Athletics Championship held in Kazakhstan, setting a time of 46.25 seconds.

Team Qatar qualify to FIBA U18 Asia Cup 2024

Kuwait: Qatar's youth basketball team qualified to the FIBA U18 Asia Cup 2024 after securing the title of the GCC U18 Basketball Championship concluded in Kuwait yesterday.  The tournament featured the participation of Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain and Qatar.  Qatar, with its youth movement aimed at the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 - an event they will be hosting - and beyond, clinched the title.  They achieved this through convincing victories over Kuwait (79-60), Saudi Arabia (86-76), Oman (111-57) and Bahrain (92-69). 

QOC President visits FIFA office in Paris

Paris: President of the Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) HE Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani, on Saturday visited the office of the International Federation of Football Associations (FIFA) in the French capital, Paris, on the sidelines of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. His Excellency was welcomed by President of the FIFA HE Gianni Infantino, in the presence of HE Secretary-General of the Qatar Olympic Committee and President of the Qatar Football Association Jassim Bin Rashid Al Buenain. During the visit, aspects of development and joint cooperation between the Qatar Olympic Committee and the FIFA were discussed. The FIFA office is a strategic base for international football development activities and strengthening relations with member associations.