Qatar brace for Friday challenge in Rio

8/11/2016 9:15:41 AM

(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Abdalelah Haroun of Qatar celebrates after winning silver in the men";s 400 metres during the IAAF World Indoor Athletics Championships in Portland, Oregon in this March 2016 file photo. Haroun will start his Rio stint tomorrow.

Rio de Janeiro: Qatar is off to a thrilling start at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games with more excitement yet to come as the handball team, skeet shooters, and track team face off in a bid for Olympic glory.

Qatar";s handball team will meet Tunisia today (15:30 Doha time) in Rio";s Future Arena.

The team cruised to victory against Croatia on August 7 (30-23) but encountered stiffer resistance against reigning Olympic and World champions France on Tuesday, eventually conceding the game 35-20.

Tomorrow, is shaping up to be one of the most exciting days for Team Qatar in Rio 2016 yet.

Qatar";s Nasser bin Al Attiyah (left) during his visit to Bayt Qatar in Rio yesterday. Al Attiyah will be seen in action tomorrow as his bids for his second Olympic medal.

Skeet shooters Nasser bin Al Attiyah, who won bronze in London 2012 and competes in the Games for the sixth consecutive time, as well as Rashid Hamad, a veteran of 18 World Championships and the Beijing 2008 Games, will compete (15:30 Doha time) at the Olympic Shooting Centre.

Speaking before his competition, Al Attiyah said:

'As athletes we count down the days to the Olympics – it is very different from any other Championship in the world. We";re doing our absolute best to prepare and we have been training intensively since our arrival in Rio on July 27. After winning the bronze medal in London 2012 I hope to win one of the medals here in Rio.”

Making his Olympic debut, and marking Qatar";s return to the Olympic weightlifting since 2008, Fares Ibrahim will compete in the men";s 85kg weightlifting event at (16:00 Doha time), also tomorrow. The prodigal Ibrahim, 18, secured his Olympic qualification after snagging two bronze medals in the World Junior Championship in June 2016.

Commenting on his hopes for Rio 2016, Ibrahim said:

'I";m concentrating and I";m aiming to achieve one of two things in Rio 2016 – either win a medal or at least be one of the top six competitors. Human beings are infinitely powerful – and I always remind myself of this when I compete – if you truly believe you are capable of lifting the weight then you will.”

Meanwhile Team Qatar";s track team will compete in their first heats of Rio 2016, with Musab Balla and Abubaker Haidar competing in the Men";s 800m heats between (16:00 and 16:37 Doha time).

This marks the second Olympic appearance for Balla after he competed in London 2012, and will be the first time ever Haidar, takes to the Olympic track. Haider is a recent graduate of Aspire Academy – one of three Aspire Academy Alumni competing for Team Qatar in Rio 2016 – the other two being high jumper Mutaz Barshim and hammer thrower Ashraf Elseify. Speaking before his competition, 19-year-old Haidar said:

'Qualifying to Rio was an indescribable feeling and it gave me a big push to do the best I can to represent Qatar, my family and friends in the best way possible. My wish is to get to as far as I possibly can – to the final. Once you get there, anyone has a chance to get a medal.”

Also competing tomorrow is Qatar";s Abdalelah Haroun who will race in the 400m heats between 05:00 to 05:47 Doha time.

Haroun holds the world record for the indoor 500m race which he set in the 2015 World Championships and has been having a stellar year so far in the Diamond League.

Speaking before his competition Haroun said: 'It is such a big thing to compete in the Olympics for the first time and I have to do my absolute best. In Rio, my hopes are to win a medal. My biggest competitor will definitely be LaShawn Merritt - but I";ve trained hard so I will give it all that I have.”

The Peninsula

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