HANDBALL – BAHRAIN’S junior men’s handball national team won the title last night in a four-nation friendly tournament held in the UAE.
The Bahrainis secured the crown after defeating Qatar 32-24 in the final. The nationals held a slim 15-13 lead at the half before pulling away from their opponents in the concluding 30 minutes. Bahrain made it into the championship decider after winning one of their three games in the preliminary phase. The nationals first drew 35-all with the host Emiratis, and then outclassed Oman 40-33. They wrapped up the stage with a narrow 30-31 loss to Qatar, which they avenged with last night’s triumph.
Following the final, the nationals were presented their gold medals in an awarding ceremony. Bahrain Olympic Committee board member and Bahrain Handball Federation president Ali Issa Ishaqi was on hand.
All four nations participated in the UAE competition as part of their preparations for the 19th Asian Men’s Junior Championship, to be held in Chuzhou, China from July 15 to 26.
The Bahrainis competed with a 20-player squad, including senior men’s national team standout Salman Al Showaikh, Abu Dhar Jaafar, Hassan Khatem, Ahmed Eid, Mahmoud Jalil, Mohammed Haitham, Abbas Hussain, Ahmed Abdullah, Sayed Majeed Al Muhafdha, Mahdi Jaafar, Ali Sami, Ahmed Alsamaheeji, Sayed Ahmed Alfalahi, Fadhel Abbas, Haider Mohammed, Ali Al Mahrous, Mohammed Zuhair, Mohammed Tarada, Wadih Hilal, and Hassan Saif.
Bahrain’s junior men are one of 13 national teams from across the continent set to compete in the 19th Asian Men’s Junior Championship. The under-21 event also acts as the continental qualifier for the 26th IHF Men’s U21 Handball World Championship, to be held from June 23 to July 4 next year in North Macedonia.
The Bahrainis are set to compete in a tough Group A for the preliminaries alongside Saudi Arabia, Oman, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, and hosts China; while Group B is composed of defending champions Japan, South Korea, Iran, Kuwait, Qatar, India, and the UAE.
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