“Asian Games”: Absolute Saudi dominance in equestrian… and anticipation for karate champions
The Saudi show jumping team confirmed its leadership in the Asian continent, by winning the gold medal in the team show jumping competition for the second time in a row after the Jakarta Asiad 2018, as part of the 19th Asian Games, which took place yesterday, Wednesday, in the equestrian arena in the Chinese city of Hangzhou.
The victory of the Green Knights, Ramzi Al-Dahami, Abdullah Al-Sharbatli, Abdul-Rahman Al-Rajhi, and Mishari Al-Harbi, came after they topped the first and second rounds without errors, then confirming their entitlement to the gold medal, in the Excellence Round, which they finished without errors and with a time of 111.83 seconds, leaving second place to the Qatari team, and third place. For the UAE national team.
The gold medal is the fifth medal in the history of Akhdar’s show jumping participation in the team competition, as he has ruled the Asian equestrian throne since his first participation in the “Doha Asiad” in 2006 until the current edition with a total of (4 golds, one silver).
With this medal, the Saudi tally of Hangzhou Asians 2022 medals increased to 6 medals (3 gold, 2 silver, and 1 bronze).
For his part, Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal, Chairman of the Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee, congratulated the showjumper, Green, on the occasion of achieving the fourth Asian gold in his history.
In a post on the “X” platform, he congratulated the Saudi champions, the knights, for winning the equestrian gold in show jumping, describing it as excellence and wishing them success in the individual competitions.
While the Saudi rider, Ramzi Al-Dahami, expressed his pride and happiness in clinching the gold medal in the team show jumping competition.
He described their winning the first medal in the team show jumping competition as an indescribable feeling, hoping that their victory would be the beginning of a good start for winning medals in the individual competition.
In basketball competitions, the Saudi team won over its Japanese counterpart, in the fifth to eighth place matches in the basketball competition in the Asian tournament, with a score of 79-74 points.
Al-Akhdar will meet the Iranian national team in the match to determine fifth and sixth place tomorrow, Friday.
The Saudi Jiu-Jitsu team will launch its participation in the Asian tournament this Thursday morning, and Al-Akhdar will be represented in the competitions by Abdul Malik Al Mardi in the 62 kg competition, and in the 69 kg competition, Mohammed bin Huraymel and Osama Qandil will be present in the competitions.
In karate, Saudi star Manal Al-Zaid opens her participation when she participates in the individual kata competition on Thursday morning.
On its first day, the karate competition will witness Sultan Al-Zahrani’s participation in the 16th round of the under-75 kg kumite competition, facing Palestinian Anas Bashra.
While the Saudi weightlifting team continues its participation in the Asian Championship, when its representative, the weightlifter Ali Al-Khazal, participates at ten in the morning on Thursday, in the 109 kg competition.
Saudi runner Muhammad Shaween concludes the participation of the Saudi athletics team when he participates in the marathon race on the closing day of the Mother of the Games competitions.
In addition, Bahrain added two gold and bronze medals to its tally yesterday, Wednesday, and Qatari Mutaz Barshim won the gold medal in the high jump in athletics, during the Asian Games currently being held in the Chinese city of Hangzhou.
At the Mother of the Games, Qatari Barshim was on time again and won his third gold in the Asian Games after the 2010 and 2014 editions, by coming in first place in the high jump competition, recording 2.35 m, while the silver went to South Korean Woo Sang-hyuk (2.33 m). Japan’s Tomohiro Shino bronze (2.29 m).
Moataz Barshim celebrates the gold medal he achieved for Qatar on Wednesday (AFP)
Barshim said after his victory: “I am proud of what I achieved. I had a dream of achieving three gold medals at the Asia’s, especially since I did not participate in the last edition in Jakarta due to injury, so I was able to return and bring the gold back to Qatar.”
Syrian Majd al-Din Ghazal finished sixth by recording (2.19 m), his best personal record this year.
As for Bahrain, the first gold medal was won by runner Birhanu Balu, who won the men’s 5,000 meters race. He completed the race in a time of 13:17.40 minutes and set a new record for the Asian Games. Second place went to the Indian Avinash Sable (13:21.09 minutes), while the Bahraini won Dawit Admasu bronze (13:25.63 d).
The other gold medal was for the women’s 400m relay team, and the Bahraini team excelled and broke the Games record with a time of 3:27.65 minutes. The team consisted of runners Mona Mubarak, Olakemi Adekoya, Zainab Mohammed, and Salwa Eid Nasser.
India won second place and won silver (3:27.85 minutes) and bronze went to Sri Lanka (3:30.88 minutes).
In the men’s 4x400m relay category, India won the gold medal, Qatar the silver and Sri Lanka the bronze.
On the other hand, Saudi long-distance runner Mohammed Yousef Al-Asiri was temporarily suspended after failing a doping test, becoming the second active drug case reported at the Asian Games.
The sample was collected from the 34-year-old runner on September 26 during an out-of-competition test and he did not participate in the 10,000-meter race four days later.
Al-Asiri was also scheduled to participate in the 5,000-meter race on Wednesday, but he was not present at the starting line.
The International Testing Agency, which conducts doping tests in Hangzhou Asia, said that Al-Asiri’s test result was positive for the banned substance darbepoetin, which enhances endurance.
She continued: “The athlete was informed of the case and was temporarily suspended with immediate effect,” stressing that “he has the right to request analysis of sample B.”
In basketball, the Jordanian team reached the final of the men’s basketball competition by defeating Chinese Taipei by a large margin of 90-71, ensuring at least a silver medal.
Jordan hopes to win its first gold in the current edition of the Games, after winning two silver and a bronze, all in the taekwondo competition.
The Jordanian team dominated the first three rounds, ending the first quarter 19-16, the second 26-19, the third 24-12, and trailing in the fourth 21-24.
The Jordanian national team qualifies for the basketball final in the Asian Games (Jordanian Olympic)
Among the “starchy” ranks, the naturalized Americans Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and John Bohannon shined, the first scoring 20 points, the second 15, while Ahmed Al-Duwairi added 19 points, Fadi Mustafa 14, and Sami Bazia 12.
The Jordanian national team was guaranteed to achieve a better achievement than the fourth place it occupied twice in the 1986 editions in Seoul and 2006 in Doha.
He is seeking to make up for his disappointing appearance at the World Cup last month, where he lost all three matches in the group stage, in addition to two other matches in the classification.
2023-10-05 08:31:45
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