Staff Reporter
Aichi-Nagoya: Qatar’s national handball team booked its place in the semi-finals of the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games after overcoming Iran 31-25 in a hard-fought quarter-final encounter, keeping alive its hopes of retaining the continental gold medal for a fourth consecutive time.
The result came after a tense contest in which Qatar had to recover from a one-goal deficit at half-time. Iran led 14-13 at the interval, but the Qatari side produced a determined second-half display to turn the match around and secure a six-goal victory.
Qatar will now face South Korea in the semi-finals after the Korean side advanced with a victory over China. The quarter-final clash against Iran was attended by Qatar Olympic Committee Secretary-General H E Jassim bin Rashid Al-Buenain and Sports Sector Director Sheikh Khalifa bin Khalid Al Thani.
The match began with both sides evenly matched, before Iran managed to establish a two-goal advantage in the 13th minute, moving 6-4 ahead after capitalising on several missed attacking opportunities by Qatar.
Qatar responded by regaining its composure and reducing the deficit to one goal at 7-6, but Iran restored its advantage and moved 9-6 ahead. The Qatari players, however, finished the opening half strongly, cutting the gap to 13-11 before eventually going into the break trailing by just one goal.
Qatar immediately levelled the score at 14-14 after the restart, setting the stage for another closely fought period. Neither side was able to establish a decisive advantage, with the scores remaining level at 23-23 midway through the second half.
The turning point came in the final stages when Qatar finally moved two goals clear at 26-24 before extending its advantage to 27-24. Iran attempted to fight its way back into contention during the final five minutes, but Qatar remained composed and finished strongly to seal the 31-25 victory.
Qatar Handball Association board member and head of the national team delegation Adel Al-Enezi described the result as a hard-fought victory and expressed confidence in the players.
He acknowledged that Iran had made life difficult for Qatar, particularly during the opening half, but praised the players for using their experience to regain control and secure qualification for the last four.
Al-Enezi also warned that the semi-final against South Korea would present another major challenge, stressing that the competition becomes more difficult with every successive round. Nevertheless, he said the team had great confidence in the players and their ability to continue producing performances worthy of the national team.
The Qatar delegation head also recognised the difficulty of defending the Asian Games title but said the team would give everything in its bid to remain on course for a historic fourth consecutive gold medal.
“The task is difficult, but we will spare no effort,” Al-Enezi said, adding that the team would do its utmost to continue its campaign and achieve its objective.
Barshim sets sight on another high jump gold
Meanwhile, attention was also focused on Qatar high jump star Mutaz Barshim, who entered the Asian Games competition seeking to add another chapter to his distinguished continental record.
Barshim has already won three Asian Games gold medals, triumphing at Guangzhou 2010, Incheon 2014 and Hangzhou 2022. He missed the Jakarta 2018 edition because of injury.
The Qatari champion, who owns a 2.35m mark, the second-best performance in the history of the event, was aiming to return to the podium in Aichi-Nagoya despite facing strong competition.
Qatar’s athletics programme also featured Abderrahman Samba and Bassem Hemeida in the men’s 400m hurdles, with both athletes seeking qualification for the final.
Omar Daoud secured his place in the 110m hurdles final after producing an impressive performance in the qualifiers. Racing in difficult rainy conditions, Daoud clocked 13.63 seconds to finish second in his heat and advance to the final, where he targeted a place on the podium.
Abbass and Waheed progress to 1,500m final
In the men’s 1,500m, Qatar’s Ibrahim Abbas and Mohamed Waheed also progressed to the final. Abbas won his heat in 3:45.54, while Waheed recorded 3:45.83 to finish fourth in his heat. Both runners entered the final with ambitions of challenging for a medal.
Ahmed Jibrin, meanwhile, finished sixth in the men’s shot put final with a throw of 19.00m, while Ammar Ibrahim narrowly missed the podium in the 400m final after finishing fourth in 45.35 seconds. He had qualified for the final by placing second in his heat with a time of 45.31 seconds.
Younousse and Tijan secure opening win in beach volleyball
In beach volleyball, Qatar’s top pair Cherif Younousse and Ahmed Tijan, representing Qatar 1, faced Oman in an important Group A encounter after opening their campaign with victory over the Philippines.
Qatar 2, comprising Mohamed Ihab and Mousa Al-Khair, finished second in Group D despite losing 2-0 to Thailand in its final group match. The team recorded two victories and one defeat to qualify for the Round of 16.
Volleyball team to face Hong Kong in opener
Qatar’s men’s volleyball team also began its Asian Games campaign in Group C against Hong Kong. The group includes India and Vietnam, while Qatar’s preparations featured a training camp and two friendly matches in Japan.
Qatar Volleyball Association board member Saeed Juma Al-Hitmi said the squad had reached a high level of readiness, with the coaching staff studying Hong Kong’s strengths and weaknesses ahead of the opening match.
With Qatar competing across several disciplines, the Aichi-Nagoya Games continue to provide opportunities for the country’s athletes to challenge for medals and strengthen their presence on the Asian sporting stage.