Incheon: Qatar are basking in the glory of their success at the Asian Games, with Chef-de-Mission Khalil Al Jabir saying the 10 gold medals won at Incheon would be a tremendous launch pad for the country ahead of the 2014 Olympics.
“There are no complaints about our Asian Games show. It was just perfect. It was a result we expected and the team delivered it in style,” Al Jabir said after Qatar finished their engagements at the 17th Asiad.
“For sure we will sit down and decide how to make the most of our success here and use it as we plan for the Olympics in Brazil in 2016,” he added.
Of the 10 gold medals Qatar won, six came from athletics, two from shooting and one each from handball and equestrianism, marking the best-ever result achieved by the country at the quadrennial continental showpiece.
“As you know our previous best at the Asian Games was nine gold medals achieved in Doha in 2006. We fell behind in Guangzhou when we won just won only four gold medals there but we were determined to make a lasting impact in Incheon,” said Al Jabir, who is also the Director of Sports Affairs at the Qatar Olympic Committee.
He said a lot of planning had gone into Qatar’s quest for gold at Incheon. “Many tend to think that we just plunge headlong into a competition randomly without worrying about the competition or without any detailed planning, but that’s not true.
“For the Asian Games we have been planning for four years ever since the Guangzhou event in 2010. We discussed our medal chances with each participating federation and gave them targets. We had a fair idea what we could achieve and we were not wrong in our estimation.”
At Incheon, sprinter Femi Ogunode and distance runner Mohamed Al Garni set the track ablaze with their record-setting heroics as they claimed a double each, while the Barshim brothers – Mutaz and Muamer shared the podium by winning the gold and bronze in the high jump.
Al Jabir said Qatar was particularly proud of its athletes. “If you look into Qatar’s history at the Asian Games most of our medals have come from athletics and shooting. It was no surprise that at Incheon too it was our track and field stars and shooters who stole the show. “The equestrian team also secured the team jumping gold which was a fantastic achievement.”
Qatar could have won a couple of more medals in athletics but for an injury suffered by sprinter Samuel Francis while qualifying for the 100 metres. With the former Asian record holder out, Qatar had to pull out of the relays because they had only one quality sprinter left in Ogunode.
The Chef-de-Mission added that Qatar’s show at the Asian Games should be viewed against the backdrop of the country’s low population and how they competed with the more populous nations in Asia.
Qatar has a population of nearly two million with less than a fifth of it being nationals while others are expatriates. “Our gold medal tally is simply excellent because countries with vast populations in the continent could not achieve that result,” he said.
“This shows that we have direction and purpose in the way we go about our sports planning.”
Al Jabir added that everybody in the Qatar Olympic Committee, including its Secretary-General Sheikh Saud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, was pleased with the show put up by the contingent.
“Yes, I can tell you that H E Sheikh Saoud has expressed his happiness over Qatar’s achievements at the Asian Games. He now wants to build on that.”
Many in the Qatari contingent have already left Incheon to be with their families for Eid, while the remaining would leave in a couple of days.
Meanwhile, Qatar’s volleyball team finished sixth after suffering a 3-2 defeat by India in their play-off yesterday.
Qatar had beaten India earlier in the tournament in straight games, but yesterday they couldn’t repeat the feat and were upstaged 25-21, 20-25, 25-22, 20-25, 15-10 in almost two hours.QOC
