Pencak silat – BAHRAIN will be making its competitive debut in two traditional combat sports at this year’s Asian Youth Games.
Three of the kingdom’s talented youth are set to compete in the boys’ kurash and boys’ pencak silat competitions, both of which get underway today at Exhibition World Bahrain (EWB).
In kurash, Bahrain’s Hasan Allaith will be going for gold in the boys’ under-65kg category. He will be taking on Vaibhav Ohri from India in their round-of-16 clash. The winner will move on to face Yousef Baghchighi from Iran in the quarter-finals.
Baghchighi is one of three competitors who have been given automatic berths in the last eight. Abaz Toktogonov from Kyrgyzstan and Mohammad Mohammadi from Afghanistan are the two others.
Allaith’s match is scheduled for a 2.24pm start. The quarters, semi-finals, and final will all also be held later today, along with the girls’ under-70kg competition.
Kurash will thus be awarding the first medals of the third Asian Youth Games today at EWB hall two.
Meanwhile, in pencak silat, Bahrain’s Jassim Alsabaie is in action today in the boys’ 59kg-63kg division. He is straight in the quarter-finals, where he will face Alireza Mortazi from Iran.
The victor moves forward to take on either Temir Bikboev from Kyrgyzstan or Thoithoiba Leikhram from India, who lock horns in another contest.
Bahrain have another competitor in pencak silat in Qassim Abdulla. He will be looking to strike gold in the boys’ 51kg-55kg division, where he is already through to the last four.
Abdulla is only in action tomorrow at EWB hall one, as he awaits to take on the winner of today’s contest between Abdullah Zaheer from Pakistan and Firdavs Bakhtibekdoza from Tajikistan.
Kurash and pencak silat were the two late additions to this year’s 26-sport programme in the third Asian Youth Games.
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