HANDBALL – BAHRAIN made sporting history last night after being crowned champions for the first time ever in the Asian Men’s Handball Championship.
The kingdom’s senior men’s handball national team captured the gold medals in the tournament’s 22nd edition in Kuwait City after defeating Qatar – the title winners from the last six continental competitions – 29-26 in a hugely exciting final that went into extra time.
The game was deadlocked at 24-all at the end of regulation, but in the additional session, which was divided into two halves, the Bahrainis took quick control. They strung together three unanswered goals from Salman Al Showaikh, Jassim Khamis, and Mohammed Habib Nasser to make it 27-24.
Al Showaikh and Nasser then scored the Bahrainis’ last two goals, while Bahrain custodian Mohammed Abdulhussain made a crucial stop in the closing moments to help preserve their advantage as they held on until the final buzzer.
Following the drama-filled final, Bahrain’s inspirational veteran pair of skipper Hussain Al Sayyad and Abdulhussain received the champions’ trophy on behalf of the squad during the awarding and closing ceremony.
The Bahrainis, coached by Swede Robert Hedin, finally secured the crown after winning the silver medals five times in past editions of the Asian Handball Federation (AHF) tournament. They were bridesmaids to the Qataris on four of those occasions.
Also with their victory last night, Bahrain snapped Qatar’s dominant run of six straight Asian championships from 2014 up until 2024.
Joining both teams on the podium yesterday were hosts Kuwait, who secured the bronze medals after edging past Japan 33-32 in the game for third place.
By finishing as the competition’s top four, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, and Japan will be representing Asia in the 30th IHF Men’s Handball World Championship, to be held in Germany from January 13 to 29 next year.
Aside from the gold medals, two of Bahrain’s stars were amongst eight players who came away with individual awards for their performances in the tournament. Al Showaikh was selected by the AHF as Best Right Wing while Nasser came away with the Best Centre Back accolade.
Bahrain Olympic Committee vice-president Shaikh Isa bin Ali bin Khalifa Al Khalifa and Bahrain Handball Federation president and AHF vice-president Ali Issa Ishaqi were both on hand during last night’s awards presentation. Shaikh Isa presented the silver medals to runners-up Qatar while Ishaqi handed over the bronze medals to the Kuwaitis, who are coached by Bahrain’s former head tactician Aron Kristjansson, whom Hedin replaced.
By claiming their maiden gold, Bahrain added to their five silver medals and two bronze medals from the Asian men’s championship. Their runner-up finishes were in 2010, 2014, 2016, 2018, and in 2022, while they were third in 1995 and 2024, when the tournament was hosted by the kingdom.
In last night’s final, Bahrain led from the start and they took a 14-11 advantage into the break. The nationals then appeared to be cruising to the title late on Al Sayyad gave them a 24-21 cushion with only three-and-a-half minutes to play.
But Qatar roared back with three straight goals from Abdulrazza Murad, Nasreddi Megdich, and captain Ahmad Madadi, with Madadi converting a penalty from the seven-metre line in the last seconds to tie it at 24-apiece and send the match to an additional 10 minutes.
That set the stage for the first five-minute half of extra time, when the Bahrainis cemented their hold on the title as Qatar were unable to respond.
Nasser and Al Sayyad finished as Bahrain’s leading scorers in the game with seven goals apiece, while Al Showaikh and Khamis contributed six each. Ahmed Kadhem, Sayed Ali Shubbar, and Hassan Madan rounded out their scorers with a goal apiece.
Madadi paced Qatar with six conversions, while Megdich and Moustafa Heiba added five each in the loss.
The 22nd Asian Men’s Handball Championship featured 15 participating nations from across the continent.
King Hamad’s representative for humanitarian work and youth affairs and Supreme Council for Youth and Sports (SCYS) chairman Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa extended congratulations to His Majesty King Hamad and His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, on the national handball team winning the Asian Handball Championship for the first time in its history.
SCYS first deputy chairman, General Sport Authority chairman and the Bahrain Olympic Committee president Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa also congratulated the national team
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