Ashraf Amgad Elseify secured a silver medal for Qatar at the Hangzhou Asian Games, hurling 72.42m in men’s hammer throw final Saturday. There were more good performances from other Al Annabi athletes with Mohamed al-Garni and Abdirahman Hassan entering the men’s 1500m final. Qatar also notched up crucial wins in 3x3 basketball, basketball and handball events Saturday.
Elseify’s silver took’s Qatar tally to 5 medals including a gold, two silver and as many bronze medals. China’s Wang Qi took the gold in the event with a throw of 72.97 while Uzbekistan's Sukhrob Khodjaev claimed bronze after clearing 70.79.
Elseify, who won Asiad gold four years ago, was happy with his achievement. “I dedicate this medal to our wise leadership, Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) President HE Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad al-Thani, the Athletics Federation, and all the supporters who have played a major role in providing full support to me,” Elseify said Saturrday.
"I am very happy to achieve a medal in this edition of the Asian Games, especially since it is the first continental championship in which I participated after my return from injury. Despite that, I succeeded, praise be to God, in achieving the silver medal, even though I was hoping for gold and I was close to that, but I was not lucky," he added.
Also competing in the event, his brother Ahmed ended up in seventh place with a throw of 67.86. Meanwhile, Al Garni and Hassan cruised into the final of 1500m after clocking 3:56.02 secs and 3:52.08 secs in their respective heats.
There was a disappointment for Al Annabi in men’s 100m as former Asian champion Femi Ogunode failed to reach final after clocking 10.40 secs, finishing fifth in the semi-finals.
At the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Park Main Stadium, Ismail Abakar (46.48 secs) also finished at dismal eighth in the men’s 400m with Saudi Arabia's Yousef Masrahi winning the title with a time of 45.55 ses.
In men’s pole vault, Seifeldin Abdelsalam, 18, showed impressive performance finishing at creditable sixth position with a 5.45m clearance.
“I am very happy with my first participation in a major tournament such as the Asian Games, and I feel satisfied with what I achieved during the tournament, and I consider this motivation for me for the future,” he said.
“I am certainly proud that I am the youngest among the contestants, and I am happy with what I have achieved. I aspire to achieve an Olympic medal, and I will make every effort for that,” he added.
Qatar’s 3x3 team storm into semis
Meanwhile, Qatar’s 3x3 basketball team stormed into the semi-final after outclassing Japan 21-15 in the quarter-final. They will look for a place in the final as they meet Mongolia in the semi-final Sunday. The other semi-final will be played between Chinese Taipei and South Korea with the final also slated to be held Sunday.
Also Saturday, Qatar basketball team defeated Indonesia 74-67 victory in their third and final Group D match Saturday. They will square off with Philippines in a qualifying match for the last-8 stage. The winner of the game will meet Iran in the quarter-final tomorrow.
Qatar handball team also maintained their fine form as they defeated China 37-20 to top their group. The defending champions will meet Japan in their third and final main round match.