VOLLEYBALL – QATAR bagged the gold medals in the 2024 AVC Challenge Cup for Men last night.
The Qataris captured the title after defeating Pakistan 3-0 (25-22, 25-20, 25-19) in a rocking final that wrapped an exciting week of top-class volleyball in Bahrain. It was the first championship for their senior squad in the present format of this annual Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) tournament.
South Korea, meanwhile, came away with the bronze medals after beating Kazakhstan 3-1 (27-25, 19-25, 27-25, 32-30) in a hotly contested match for third place.
Following yesterday’s play, the top three were given their respective trophies and medals in a closing ceremony and awards presentation. Handing out their prizes were General Sports Authority (GSA) deputy chairman Shaikh Salman bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, GSA chief executive Dr Abdulrahman Askar, Bahrain Olympic Committee (BOC) board member and Bahrain Table Tennis Association president Shaikha Hayat bint Abdulaziz Al Khalifa, and Bahrain Volleyball Association (BVA) president Shaikh Ali bin Mohammed Al Khalifa.
Also present were BVA secretary general and tournament director Feras Al Helwachi and the tournament’s control committee chairman Emile Jabbour, along with high-ranking officials from the BVA, AVC, and national volleyball federations from across Asia.
A number of individual awards were handed out, among them the tournament’s Most Valuable Player honour, which was claimed by Qatar outside hitter Renan Ribeiro.
The AVC Challenge Cup for Men was hosted by Bahrain for the first time. It was held under the patronage of Supreme Council for Youth and Sport first deputy chairman, GSA chairman, and BOC president Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa.
In last night’s final, the Qataris lived up to their tag as the top-ranked team in the competition, putting on a dominant performance. Pakistan tried bravely to challenge and held slim leads, although briefly, in each of the three sets. But world number 21 Qatar were too good on the night, and they masterfully completed their sweep.
“We did our job to take the trophy,” said Qatar’s towering middle blocker Ibrahim Mohammed Ibrahim. “We started the competition poorly, but we turned it around and played with heart. We know the way, and we grabbed it today.”
Of their impressive play in the final, Ibrahim said: “We wanted to show what we can do. This is the way to show how we have improved our level in Asia. It was an amazing performance from all the group.”
Outside hitter Youssef Oughlaf top scored for the Qataris with 16 points, while Ibrahim added 11 and middle blocker Belal Nabel Abunabot chipped in with 10. For world number 47 Pakistan, opposite Murad Khan finished with 10 points, while outside hitter Afaq Khan added seven.
With their title, Qatar also booked their place in the prestigious FIVB Volleyball Men’s Challenger Cup, which will be held in China early next month.
Yesterday’s bronze medal game was a tightly fought affair from the opening serve. After world number 28 South Korea eked ahead 2-1, they were on the verge of closing out the game in the fourth set, but the world number 55 Kazakhs saved a number of match points to extend play. Kazakhstan setter Niyaz Nurgazin was then called for a net fault, breaking a 30-all deadlock, allowing the South Koreans to finally seal the match and their podium place with a service ace, delivered by team captain Taekeui Hwang.
Star opposite Hojin Shin scored 21 points to spearhead the winners, while Jihan Kim added 19 and fellow-outside hitter Hanyong Jeong chipped in with 11. Opposite spiker Petr Churzin finished with 23 for Kazakhstan, while outside hitter Vitaliy Vorivodin added 17, and middle blocker Damir Akimov scored 13.
“It was a really tough match with Kazakhstan today, but I am so proud of my players because we fought a lot and we took a medal,” said South Korea head coach Issanaye Ramires.
“We are happy for the moment but it is not enough for us. We need to work for better results in the future, and we have big potential to do that. With my experience at the Asian level, sure we will get it.”
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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