Doha [Qatar], September 21: Karateka Abdulrahman Mustafa did the nation proud as he picked Qatar's first medal at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games, winning silver in the men's under-60kg karate competition in Japan on Sunday.
Mustafa produced a strong run to reach the final, defeating Uzbekistan's Mukhriddin Turakhunov 4-1 in the round of 16 before beating Vietnam's Chu Van Duc 10-4 in the quarter-finals. He continued his impressive campaign with a 7-1 victory over Malaysia's Hari Sankar in the semi-finals.
However, Kuwait's Abdullah Shaaban proved too strong in the final, winning 8-0 to claim the gold medal and leave Mustafa with silver.
Mustafa said he was proud to have won a medal and raised the Qatari flag at the Games. "I am extremely happy to have won the silver medal. While I had hoped for gold, it was God's will," he said.
"I dedicate this medal to my family, who stood by and supported me throughout this journey, as well as to my coach, the Qatar Karate Federation family, and everyone who encouraged and backed me in reaching this moment."
He added: "The competition was fierce. I gave it my all to achieve the best possible result, and I am delighted to have made it to the podium and raised the Qatari flag at this major Asian event."
The result is a significant achievement for Mustafa, who is regarded as one of the promising athlete of Qatar's karate team. He previously won gold in the under-21, under-60kg category at the 24th Asian Karate Championships for Cadet, Junior and U-21 athletes.
Qatar's karate campaign continues on Monday, with Yaman Ashraf competing in the under-67kg category. He will face Bangladesh's Islam Monirul in the round of 16. Abdullah Rashad will compete in the under-84kg category.
Ali Tamer breaks national record in 100m freestyle
Qatari swimmer Ali Tamer qualified for the men's 100m freestyle final after finishing second in his heat in 48.65 seconds. Tamer's time broke his previous national record of 49.10 seconds. He eventually finished seventh in the final, clocking 48.63secs.
The Qatar team is also scheduled to compete in the 4x200m freestyle relay. The six-member squad comprises Mohamed Mahmoud, Tamer, Saad El-Din, Emile Mounir Fouzai, Abdullah Al Ghamri and Mohamed Aziz Jilani.
Handball team opens with big win
Qatar began their Asian Games handball campaign with a commanding 40-17 victory over Hong Kong in Group A. Hong Kong stayed level with Qatar at 3-3 in the early stages, but the Qatari side gradually settled into the match and took control. Improved defending and more accurate finishing helped Qatar open a 6-3 lead before going into the break 19-8 ahead.
Qatar continued to dominate after the interval to complete a 23-goal victory and collect its first two points. The team faces China today before taking on Japan in its final group match next Friday.
Qatar are seeking a fourth consecutive Asian Games gold medal after winning the title in Incheon in 2014, Jakarta in 2018 and Hangzhou in 2022.
Al Yafei sets personal best
Shooter Retaj Al Yafei recorded a personal best of 620.8 points in the women's air rifle competition. Al Yafei finished 39th overall, while teammate Maha Al Ali placed 51st.
Qatar's shooting team continues its campaign today with the men competing in individual and team air rifle, as well as individual and team skeet events. Qatar won three shooting medals at the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games. Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah, Masoud Saleh Al Athba and Rashid Saleh Al Athba won silver in the men's team skeet, while Al Attiyah took individual bronze. Rashid Al Athba and Reem Al Sharshani also won bronze in the mixed team skeet.
Table tennis teams suffer defeats
Qatar's men's table tennis team lost 3-0 to China and will face Macau on Monday. The women's team also suffered two 3-0 defeats, losing to Thailand in its opening match before going down to Lebanon.
The table tennis competition continues over the coming days, with Qatar represented in the men's and women's singles and team events.
Beach volleyball team begins title defence
Qatar's men's beach volleyball team begins their camoaignwith the defending champions aiming to retain the gold won at the previous edition in Hangzhou.
Qatar 1, represented by Cherif Younousse and Ahmed Tijan, opens its Group A campaign against the Philippines. Oman are the other team in the group.
Younousse and Tijan will be looking for a strong start as they begin their bid to defend the title they won in Hangzhou. A positive opening result would boost their confidence and strengthen their hopes of reaching the knockout stages.
Qatar's second team, Mousa Al Khair and Mohamed Ihab, will also begin their campaign, taking on South Korea in Group D. Thailand and Sri Lanka are the other teams in the group.
In the women's competition, Qatar 1, comprising Haya Ashraf and Laila Mohamed, suffered a straight-sets defeat against hosts Japan in their opening match. Qatar 2 will face Thailand on Monday.
Qatar 3x3 team starts campaign
Qatar's men's 3x3 basketball team begins its Asian Games campaign on Monday with matches against Indonesia and Chinese Taipei. Qatar arrive in Aichi-Nagoya with ambitions of building on their silver-medal finish at the previous Asian Games in Hangzhou. The team, comprising Mohammed Hashim, Hamad Yassin, Nizar Mahmoud and Mubarak Jama, will look to make a strong start to the competition.
Gymnastics events begin
Qatar's gymnastics team begins its campaign on Monday, with Rakan Al Harith and Mehrdad Ghadimi competing in the men's individual all-around qualifiers at Nippon Gaishi Hall, also known as Rainbow Hall, in Nagoya.
The duo prepared for the competition undergoing intensive training at a camp in Armenia and will now look to put their preparations into practice on the continental stage at the Games.
Source: Qatar Tribune
