DOHA, 9 December 2006 — The Saudi national bowling team are, well, on a roll.
After winning the Kingdom’s two medals in the Asian Games the bowlers again struck yesterday at the Doha Bowling Center, winning the men’s all events gold medal and bronze in the men’s five-man team event.
While the overachieving bowlers bask in the glory of their superlative performances the Saudi 31-strong athletics team set their drive for medals in motion when they put four players in the final and another two in the semifinal of their respective disciplines.
Bader Al-Sheikh, 19, became the most bemedalled Saudi athlete at this Games with four after winning the men’s all events gold. He had a share of the men’s team of five bronzes, men’s trios bronze and doubles gold medal.
In all Saudi Arabia so far have won four medals - two golds and two bronze - in the continental competition hosted for the first time by a Middle Eastern country after Iran in 1974.
Bader totaled 5,482 pinfalls in taking the gold in the all events that combined the scores from singles, doubles, trios and team of five.
“Thank God for the result we scored. I’m so proud that the Saudi bowling team brought the only four medals for Saudi Arabia in the Asian Games 2006,”said Bader, a bronze medalist in the 2005 World Championship.
“The competition was hard and the most difficult round was the five-player team event. Winning the gold medal in the all events was difficult as well.” Bader’s brother Hassan, 16, with whom he shared the doubles gold was also a member of the five-man team along with Faisal Juraifani, Ahmed Al-Hdyan and Yousef Akbar. The quintet rolled total pinfalls of 6,349 behind gold medalist Japan 6,579 and Korea 6,428. Of the nine athletes to see action for Saudi Arabia in athletics six stayed in the hunt for medals.
In the men’s long jump, the two Saudis, Hussain Al-Saba, 27, and Ahmed Faez bin Marzouq, 27, will both be looking to break the Asian record.
Al-Saba was ranked first yesterday in the men’s long jump qualifying Group A with a clocking of 7.67 . Group B in the men’s long jump qualifications was toped by the Bin Marzouq who returned a clocking of 7.94 , just 0.54 off Al-Khuwaildi Asian record.
Mohammed Shaween, 20, qualified 4th in the men’s 1,500m first round heat with 3:44.03. Yousef Othman just missed qualifying in fifth place with a time of 3:53:05.
The Saudi pair of Yahya Al-Ghahes, 20, and Yahya Habeeb, 22, breezed through the field to win their heats in the men’s 100 meters at 10.42 at 10.49 respectively and qualify for the semifinal.
Hamdan Al-Bishi, 25, reached the final in the men’s 400 meters by running his heat in 46.71. Teammate Ismail Al-Sabani, 17, who was entered in the same heat 3 was ranked fourth and failed to qualify with 48.01.
Ali Al-Amri, 19, missed out on the medals in the men’s 3000 meters steeplechase final yesterday with a fourth-place time of 8.41.29.
The Saudis wound up their campaign in shooting yesterday with disappointing results. In the men’s skeet qualification, Majed Al-Tamimi, 35, Saied Al-Mutairi, 38, and Abdulaziz Al-Hamlan, 40 were ranked 15th, 20th and 39th in that order.
In the men’s 25m center fire pistol competition at Lusail Shooting Range Hadi Al-Qahtani, 42, was ranked 28th scoring a total of 568 points, 290 for precision and 278 for rapid.
Saied Al-Qahtani, 34 was ranked 44th scoring 551, 283 in precision and 268 rapid. Mohammed Al-Amri, 29, scored a total of 557, 281 in precision and 276 in rapid and thus was ranked 42nd.
The Saudi handball team lost their fifth match in the men’s Main Round Group E against Iran 28-19 at Al-Gharrafa Indoor Hall.
After winning their first match against Hong Kong, the Saudi water polo team lost against Uzbekistan 14-4 at Al-Sadd Aquatic Center.
In taekwondo, Yasser Al-Harbi, 20, played twice yesterday, beating Afghanistan’s Mohammad Ahangarzada 3-1 in the men’s 78kg round of 16 and losing against the Qatari Abdulqader Sarhan (1-2) in the men’s 78kg quarterfinal. His teammate Emad Al-Natrafi, 21, lost the match against Naser Al-Huris (2-7) in men’s 58kg in Qatar Sports Club Indoor Hall. In the men’s light fly 48kg quarterfinal bout Saudi boxer Ali Al-Ahmary lost to Filipino Godfrey Castro via a second round stoppage at the Aspire Hall. The Filipino was leading 25-5 when he dropped his Ahmary 48 seconds into the second round.
“The percentage of success in the Saudi athletes is 70% today. I expect the long jumpers to have gold or silver tomorrow. I hope the athletes who will compete tomorrow will succeed,” said athletics team manager Khalid Al-Khaldi.
