Qatar players and officials celebrate with the trophy after winning the Asian Men’s Handball Championship title in Dammam, yesterday.
Doha: Qatar yesterday made history by claiming their fifth consecutive Asian Men’s Handball Championship title, beating Bahrain 29-24 in the final at Ministry of Sports Hall in Dammam, Saudi Arabia.
By lifting the trophy, Qatar, who also won the 2014, 2016, 2018 and 2020 editions, equalled South Korea’s record of five straight titles in the continental event.
President of the Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) H E Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani congratulated Al Annabi for their brilliant performance in the event.
“Congratulations to our champions and the Qatar Handball Federation on winning the Asian Handball Championship organised in the sisterly Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. After a great performance worthy of the title holder’s reputation, Qatar won the Asian Cup title for the fifth time in a row,” Sheikh Joaan tweeted after the win in final.
Yesterday’s win was Qatar’s eighth straight victory in Saudi Arabia but it came after a lot of hardwork in the title clash as Bahrain put up a tough fight against the reigning champions.
Qatar players celebrate with the trophy.
The first half saw stiff battle for goals between the two sides but Valero Rivera-coached Qatar continued to lead their opponents, who also entered the clash as an unbeaten side.
At the half-time, Al Annabi took a 14-11 lead, setting the stage for a thrilling second half.
Bahrain were better in the second half as they scored 13 goals in the session hoping to make a comeback in the match but Qatar maintained their supremacy by scoring at short intervals to wrap up the title-deciding triumph.
Top Qatar Handball Association (QHA) officials hailed the national team’s performance in the tournament.
“We dedicate this victory to the Amir His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, to His Excellency the Prime Minister, His Excellency the Minister of Sports and Youth, and His Excellency Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani and to the Qatari people,” said QHA President Ahmed Al Shaabi.
“It’s a difficult tournament and winning it for the fifth time in a row is a huge achievement. Al Annabi played with great fighting spirit throughout the tournament. All players are our heroes. We faced many difficult teams in the competition and getting victories in all these matches we played is a big achievement,” he added.
QHA Secretary-General Mohamed Jaber Al Mulla said: “We are delighted on this huge achievement which came due to the support of His Highness the Amir.”
“We are proud of our team’s performance in the Asian Championship in Saudi Arabia. They deserved to win the event for fifth straight time which is a historic feat,” he added.
Meanwhile, hosts Saudi Arabia secured bronze medal after a 26-23 win over Iran in the third position play-off earlier yesterday.
South Korea sealed fifth spot with a win over Iraq on Sunday, booking their berth in 2023 IHF World Men’s Handball Championships.
The Asian Championship was also serving as a qualifier for World Championship, offering top five teams of the event berths for the global competition to be staged jointly by Poland and Sweden next year.
