Team Qatar’s 16-year old swimmer Abdulaziz Al Obaidly, World Para-Athletics Champion and Paralympic silver medallist Abdelrahman Abdelqader, Taekwondo player Huda Mohammed, Youth Arab Champion hammer thrower Rania Al Naji and volleyball player Othman Abde
Doha: Qatar’s young upcoming taekwondo player Huda Mohammed - who will make her debut at the upcoming Asian Games in Jakarta and Palembang this summer- hopes to inspire more Qataris to take up sport in a big way.
Huda will be Qatar’s first-ever taekwondo (Poomsae) athlete to compete at an Asian Games this summer and is among a huge Qatari delegation that will see over 250 athletes, including over 40 females, across 30 different sports at one of the biggest multi-sport events in the world.
Huda was among the five young male and female athletes who were introduced by the Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) in a panel session that gave an insight into their preparations and aspirations for one of the biggest sporting competitions of their lives, the Asian Games.
Speaking about her hopes to inspire more young female athletes to follow in her footsteps through her performances, Huda, said: “I started playing taekwondo as a hobby when I was 13; I then gradually took up the sport professionally. Many might think that taekwondo is not a girls’ sport, but I highly recommend girls to try the Poomsae because it does not require the athlete to compete against an opponent. In Poomsae, an athlete performs a set of motions and therefore the possibility for injuries is very low.”
The 2018 Asian Games will take place in Jakarta and Palembang, Indonesia from August 18 to September 2 and the Asian Para Games will take place from the October 8 to 16 in Jakarta.
Team Qatar’s taekwondo athletes raised Qatar’s flag high in this month’s Asian Championships, which took place in Vietnam. Team Qatar competed with five athletes and came back home with a bronze medal through Qatar’s Othman Boularas, who also recently won gold at the World Taekwondo Beach Championships.
Besides Huda, other athletes who took part in the panel session were 16 year-old swimmer Abdulaziz Al Obaidly, World Para-Athletics Champion and Paralympic silver medallist Abdelrahman
Abdelqader, volleyball player Othman Abdelwahed and Youth Arab Champion hammer thrower Rania Al Naji.
Aspiring young swimmer Al Obaidly recently set two new personal bests in the 100m and 200m backstroke during Qatar’s Swimming Cup 2018. Still just 16-years-old, Al Obaidly has been gaining strong international experience in this year’s FINA Swimming World Series, which has seen him compete in Seychelles.
Speaking about his preparations and hopes for the Asian Games, Al Obaidly said: “The team and I are getting ready to attend two training camps before heading to Jakarta for the Asian Games. I will be the youngest swimmer amongst my teammates at the Games; this makes me proud and excited to do my best.”
Qatar’s first-ever Para-Athletics World Champion Abdelqader won gold in the T34 shot put in London last year after his tremendous silver medal, and Qatar’s first-ever Paralympic medal, at Rio 2016.
Para-sport in Qatar has been continuing to grow in strength since Doha hosted the IPC Athletics World Championships in 2015, with team-mate Sara Masoud taking silver at both London 2017 and Rio 2016 and becoming Qatar’s first-ever global female medallist in the process.
Abdelqader will be competing at the Asian Para Games in Jakarta October 2018, which will be held parallel to Asian Games.
Abdelqader who will be looking to add to his medal collection in Indonesia, said: “The upcoming Asian Para Games will see fierce competition in the shot put event. I will be competing against the best in Asia, but hopeful to set a new personal best. My training in Ramadan is intense, I am always aiming for gold and I’m looking to add a new medal to my collection.”
Team Qatar’s indoor volleyball team came third in the World Cup qualifications 2018 beating the second ranked team in Asia.
Abdelwahed is one of the team members to compete at the Asian Games this summer. Speaking ahead of the Games, Abdelwahed said: “We are heading to the Asian Games with a very well experienced team that have competed on an international level and achieved a lot. My team and I are very excited for this summer, hoping to come back home with a medal.”
Team Qatar’s rising star hammer thrower Rania Al Naji recently won a gold medal at the youth Arab Championships in Jordan 2018.
With the 2019 IAAF World Athletics Championships on the horizon, it is a very exciting time for athletics in Qatar and Rania.
