BAHRAIN’S athletes will be out in force today as 15 sports are being held on the first full day of competition in the third Asian Youth Games.
Bahrain is participating with its largest-ever delegation for a continental age-group event in this year’s mega multi-sport event. The home team features a record 356 individuals, including 204 athletes – 150 boys and 54 girls – along with 130 coaches, administration members, and support staff, and 22 officials from the Bahrain Olympic Committee.
Today’s packed programme includes action in athletics, 3x3 basketball, beach volleyball, boxing, futsal, golf, handball, kabaddi, mixed martial arts (MMA), Muay, showjumping, taekwondo, teqball, triathlon, and volleyball.
Some of the kingdom’s top talents will be competing for medals, while others are kicking off their campaigns at home.
In athletics, to be held at the National Stadium in Riffa, podium places will be up for the taking in girls’ 5,000m walk, boys’ triple jump, boys’ hammer throw, girls’ shot put, girls’ 1,500m, boys’ 1,500m, girls’ 100m hurdles, and boys’ 110m hurdles.
In 3x3 basketball, Bahrain’s boys were supposed to begin their campaign against India this evening, but their rivals have withdrawn. The squad – composed of Somto Patrick Onoduenyi, Hassan Abdulkadir, Yousif Yaqoob Meshaei, and Sergey Sikij – will instead open their campaign tomorrow against Indonesia at the Bahrain Basketball Association Arena in Um Al Hassam Sports Complex.
In boxing, Bahrain’s Mohammed Attia steps into the ring at Exhibition World Bahrain (EWB) in the boys’ 75kg weight division. His opponent in his opening bout is Yiwen Guan from China.
In golf, the trio of Khalid Mohamed Seddeeq, Yaqoob Yousif Majid, and Abdulrahman Mehaizea are set to hit the fairway for the first round of the boys’ tournament. The 54-hole competition is being played at the Royal Golf Club.
In MMA, seven Bahraini fighters are competing today. Aseel Almutawa is in action in the boys’ 55kg modern MMA round of 16, where he will face Faiziddin Khalilov from Tajikistan. Abdulakim Babaev is in the boys’ 65kg modern MMA, where he takes on Amirali Aliabadi from Iran in their round of 16.
Sultanakhmed Sultanakhmedov will then be battling Andreas Lucho Aguilar from the Philippines in the boys’ 65kg traditional MMA quarter-finals. Ibragim Khalidov is in the boys’ 70kg modern MMA quarter-finals against Laith Al Gharaibeh from Jordan, and Abdulla Qahtan is in the boys’ 60kg traditional MMA quarter-finals against Satria Eka Suryo Basroni.
Also set to compete for Bahrain but awaiting their opponents are Saood Salman in the boys’ 50kg modern MMA quarter-finals and Eldar Eldarov in the boys’ 60kg modern MMA quarters.
In triathlon, Bahrain’s Albara Al Rumaihi, Adel Al Malki, and Omar Yasser are in the boys’ individual super sprint final, while Lulwa Al Doseri and Sofia Al Oraibi are in the girls’ event.
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