Bahrain Crash Out of Boys’ Handball Medal Race

TDT | Manama

Email : hussainm@newsofbahrain.com

Bahrain’s impressive run in the boys’ handball tournament at the Asian Youth Games came to a surprising end last night with a 23-21 loss to Kuwait in the semifinals at Umm Alhassam Sports Complex. After a strong start to the tournament, many had the hosts pegged as potential medal contenders, making their exit from gold medal contention a surprise.

Bahrain kept pace throughout the first half, trailing just 13-11 at the break. Ahmed Karrar and Aadam Mohammed led the attack, while Ali Jadeed and Abdulla Ahmed contributed crucial fast-break goals. The second half saw both sides trade scores, with Bahrain’s breakthroughs and wing play testing Kuwait’s defense. Despite their efforts under coach Mohamed Soliman, a pivotal 6m penalty converted by Kuwait midway through the half preserved their narrow lead, securing the semifinal win.

On the girls’ side, China and Iran advanced to the gold medal match after dominant semifinal wins. China defeated Hong Kong 9-0, while Iran edged past Chinese Taipei on penalties following a 2-2 draw. Today’s girls finals at Khalifa Sports City Hall feature the bronze medal match between Hong Kong and Chinese Taipei at 4 PM, followed by the gold medal match between China and Iran at 7 PM.

The boys’ futsal finals take place tomorrow, with Thailand facing Uzbekistan for bronze at 4 PM, and Afghanistan taking on Iran for gold at 7 PM.