LEFT TO RIGHT: Abdulrahman Abdulhamid secured Qatar’s first medal at the 20th Asian Games. Abdulrahman Abdulhamid (right) in action against Kuwait’s Abdullah Shaaban.
Doha, Qatar: Abdulrahman Abdulhamid yesterday secured Qatar’s first medal at the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026, winning silver in the men’s kumite under-60kg category at Toyohashi Gymnasium at Toyohashi Total Sports Park in Aichi Prefecture.
Qatar’s handball team launched their hunt for a fourth successive gold, thrashing Hong Kong 40-17 in their opening match.
Abdulhamid delivered an impressive performance on his way to the final, beating opponents from Uzbekistan, Vietnam and Malaysia.
He faced Kuwait’s Abdullah Shaaban in the final, losing 8-0 to settle for silver.
“While I had hoped for a gold, I am happy with this achievement,” said Abdulhamid.
“This medal marks the beginning of future achievements. We hope to secure more medals and successes in upcoming championships, and I will continue to train and work hard to bring honour to Qatar and fly its flag high.”
The karate events will continue today with Qatar’s Yaman Alnatsheh meeting Bangladesh’s Mounirul Islam in an under-67kg kumite Round of 16 bout.
Abdullah Rashad, who will compete in the under-84kg category, is the other athlete in the karate squad.
After a slow start in their Group A match, Qatar’s handball team settled quickly and took control against Hong Kong, leading 19-8 at half-time before extending their advantage in the second half.
Qatar’s handball team launched their hunt for a fourth successive gold, thrashing Hong Kong 40-17 in their opening match.
Qatar will face China today in their second group match before meeting Japan on Friday.
Qatar are seeking a fourth consecutive Asian Games gold after winning the title at Incheon 2014, Jakarta 2018 and Hangzhou 2022.
Ali Tamer impresses in 100m freestyle
At the Tokyo Aquatics Centre, Qatar’s Ali Tamer qualified for the men’s 100m freestyle final after setting a new national record of 48.65 seconds in the heats. Tamer finished second in his heat, lowering his previous Qatari record of 49.10 seconds. He went even faster in the final, clocking 48.63 seconds, but finished seventh overall.
The Qatari swimmer will be back in action today in the 4x200m freestyle relay as the national team continues its campaign at the Games. Qatar are represented by six swimmers in Aichi-Nagoya.
Ali Tamer qualified for the men’s 100m freestyle final after setting a new national record in the heats.
Meanwhile, Qatar’s Retaj Al-Yafei finished 39th in the women’s air rifle competition, recording a personal best of 620.8 points. The performance marked Al-Yafei’s best result in an international competition as she continues to gain experience at the continental level. Her teammate Maha Al-Ali finished 51st.
Qatar’s shooting team will be back in action today, with the men competing in individual and team air rifle as well as individual and team skeet events.
Retaj Al-Yafei finished 39th in the women’s air rifle competition, while Maha Al-Ali finished 51st.
Qatar won three shooting medals at the previous Asian Games in Hangzhou, including silver in the men’s team skeet and two bronze medals.
Cherif, Tijan begin title defence
Defending champions Cherif Younousse and Ahmed Tijan begin their title defence today as Qatar’s men’s beach volleyball campaign gets underway at the Asian Games.
The top Qatari pair opens its Group A campaign against the Philippines, with Oman also in the group. Cherif and Tijan will look to make a strong start against Alnakran Abilla and John Lerry Francisco as they target a second successive Asian Games gold.
Qatar’s second team, Mousa Al-Khair and Mohamed Ihab, face South Korea in Group D, which also includes Thailand and Sri Lanka.
In the women’s competition, Qatar 1’s Haya Ashraf and Laila Mohamed lost to hosts Japan in straight sets.
Also, Qatar’s men’s 3x3 basketball team begins its Asian Games campaign today, facing Indonesia and Chinese Taipei. Qatar won silver at the previous Asian Games in Hangzhou and will be looking to build on that performance in Aichi-Nagoya.
The team features Mohammed Hashim, Hamad Yassin, Nizar Mahmoud and Mubarak Jama, with the quartet aiming to make a strong start and challenge for another podium finish.
In other action, Qatar’s men’s table tennis team faces Macau today, looking to bounce back from yesterday’s 3-0 defeat to China.
Qatar's Aya Mohamed in action.
Qatar’s women also suffered defeats against Thailand and Lebanon, both by 3-0. Rakan Al-Harith and Mehrdad Ghadimi begin Qatar’s gymnastics campaign in the men’s individual all-around qualifiers at Nippon Gaishi Hall in Nagoya. The duo prepared for the Games at a training camp in Armenia.
