Thailand deny Bahrain beach handball bronze

TDT | Manama

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Bahrain’s men’s beach handball team finished fourth at the Asian Beach Games after a 2–0 defeat (18–16, 23–18) to Thailand in the bronze medal match at Tianya Haijiao.

The contest opened at a frantic pace, with neither side able to establish early control. Bahrain struck first through Komail Mahfoodh, but Thailand’s response was immediate as Kannarong began to assert himself with a series of specialist finishes. The opening exchanges quickly became a back-and-forth scoring duel, with Bilal Askani and Mahdi Ali repeatedly keeping the Bahrainis level.

Midway through the first period, the match remained perfectly balanced at 10–10, but Thailand began to edge ahead through sharper execution in key moments. A run of goals from Kannarong, combined with an inflight finish from Puapan, shifted momentum. Bahrain stayed within reach through Askani’s spin shots, yet a late Thai push secured the opening period 18–16.

The second period followed a similar pattern but with greater intensity from Bahrain, who briefly threatened a comeback. Askani continued his strong scoring form, supported by Adam Alnasheet and Mahdi Ali, as the nationals repeatedly cut the deficit back to two and three points. At one stage, they closed the gap to 14–12, then 16–14, keeping the pressure on Thailand.

However, every Bahrain surge was met with a decisive response. Kannarong once again proved pivotal, while Prueprak and Srinamkham delivered key finishes as Thailand rebuilt their cushion. A missed Bahrain opportunity to reduce the gap further proved costly, and a late Thailand scoring burst effectively ended the contest.

Thailand closed out the second period 23–18 to secure bronze, with coach Hussain Al Qaidoom’s side left to reflect on missed chances in a match that remained competitive throughout.

In the tournament final, Thailand went on to win gold, while Qatar secured silver.