Unbeatable Iran were crowned champions yesterday of the 19th Asian Men’s U20 Volleyball Championship.
The Iranians clinched the title after a dominant 3-0 (25-22, 25-14, 25-18) victory over Korea in an entertaining final that lasted just about an hour-and-a-quarter at Isa Sports City in Riffa.
Bahrain secured ninth place overall after taking down Sri Lanka in straight sets 3-0 (25-21, 25-19, 25-17).
Iran take home their sixth title in the history of the competition. They are now tied with Korea for the record number of championships at the Asian under-20 level.
They had last won the crown in 2014, while the Koreans previously clinched the title in 2004 after taking five of the first seven editions in the 1980s and 90s.
Thailand won the bronze medals after an inspired 3-1 (25-23, 18-25, 25-20, 26-24) triumph over Iraq in the match for third place.
Both Thailand and Iraq were vying for their first-ever medals in the history of Asian under-20 event. The Thais’ best finish previously was fourth overall in 1990, while Iraq’s best was eighth in the 1984 tournament.
Following the final, the official closing ceremony and awards presentation was held. Handing over the trophies and medals were Supreme Council for Youth and Sports assistant general secretary and Bahrain Olympic Committee general secretary Abdulrahman Askar along with Bahrain Volleyball Association (BVA) president Shaikh Ali bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, amongst other officials. Aside from the gold, silver and bronze-medallists, also receiving awards were the top individual players from the tournament.
The Most Valuable Player Award was won by Iran captain Amirhossein Esfandiar. Korea’s Kyeongmin Park was the Best Libero, while teammate and Korea captain Ikje Choi was Best Setter. Iraq’s Ali Sahib Abushanan was the Best Opposite Hitter.
The First Best Outside Hitter was Iran’s Morteza Sharifi while the Second Best Outside Hitter was teammate Porya Yali. The First Best Middle Blocker was Thailand’s Soranan Nuampara and the Second Best Middle Blocker was Iran’s Mehran Feyzemamdoust.
This year’s Asian U20 Championship was organised by the Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) in cooperation with the BVA. It was held under the patronage of His Majesty the King’s Charity Works and Youth Affairs Representative, Supreme Council for Youth and Sports Chairman and Bahrain Olympic Committee President Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa.
As the top two teams, Iran and Korea secured their qualification for the 2019 FIVB Men’s U21 World Championship as the representatives of the AVC. Only the top two from this tournament are given berths in the worlds.
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