MIXED MARTIAL ARTS – Bahrain captured eight more medals yesterday, including one gold, to bring their medal tally to 13 overall at the end of the 2024 International Mixed Martial Arts Federation (IMMAF) Asian Youth Championships, which came to a close in the kingdom.
The two-day competition was held as part of Brave International Combat Week at Khalifa Sports City Arena in Isa Town.
The eight medals won on the second and final day of bouts added to the five claimed on opening day Saturday. The hosts’ final haul therefore included two gold medals, four silver medals, and seven bronze medals.
Yesterday’s medals were claimed in the youth men’s B and C classes. The B winners included Sayed Alawi Abdulla and Ahmed Husain, while the C fighters to step onto their respective podiums were Mohamed Hamad, who struck gold, Ali Baqlawa, Mohammed Baqlawa, Abdulla Hussain, Hamad Almehri, and Shawqi Alsada.
Mohamed Hamad won Bahrain’s gold yesterday in the 34kg division of C competition. He captured his continental title after defeating fellow-Team Bahrain fighter Ali Baqlawa in their final, with Ali settling for silver.
Elsewhere in the C classes, three of yesterday’s bronze medals were won. Abdulla Hussain finished joint-third in the 37kg division with Kavin Kopperunko of India. Tajikistan had a one-two with Ibrohim Mirzoev taking gold and Akmal Sobirzoda winning silver.
Bahrain’s Hamad Almehri secured the bronze in the 40kg class, where Mukhammad Zafarov and Firuzjon Amrdinzoda, both also from Tajikistan, took the top two places.
Then, in the 48kg category, Shawqi Alsada won the bronze. Bahraini teammate Mohammed Baqlawa finished ahead of him with the silver medal, while Marco Bou Chahla of Lebanon came away with the gold.
In the B classes yesterday, Sayed Alawi Abdulla won a silver and Ahmed Husain took a bronze medal.
Sayed clinched his runner-up finish in the 40kg division, where Tajikistan’s Abubakir Rustamov bagged gold after winning their final head-to-head by submission (Anaconda). Ahmed then took his bronze in the 48kg group, where he shared third place with Aymen Mohamed Mufeed of Iraq. Haidarjon Qarabekov and Yusuf Sidiqov made it a one-two for Tajikistan.
The five medals claimed by Bahrain on the first day of fights – all in the youth men’s A categories – included a gold by Abdulla Qahtan, a silver by Saood Salman, and three bronze medals clinched by Hamad Mohseni, Omar Khonji, and Saood Khamis.
The Asian youth championships are sanctioned by the IMMAF. It featured the continent’s rising stars in MMA, aged 12 to 17 years old, both boys and girls, competing in various age groups and weight classes.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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