Qatari weightlifter Sarah Al-Qubaisi competes during the women’s 77 kg category event.
Doha, Qatar: Qatari weightlifter Sarah Al-Qubaisi made a striking debut at the combined Qatar International Cup, Arab Championship, and West Asian Championship, currently underway at the Ezdan Palace Hotel until December 27.
Competing in the women’s 77 kg category, she lifted 60 kg in the snatch and 75 kg in the clean and jerk, achieving a total of 135 kg and announcing herself as a rising star in Qatari weightlifting.
The championships bring together over 250 male and female athletes from more than 25 countries, with Qatar participating with a six-member squad including Fares Ibrahim, Fares Ahmed Jaber, Nader Mohammed Bakr, Abdullah Al-Hashemi, Ouisal Ikhlef, and Al-Qubaisi, competing across six weight categories.
In the same women’s 77 kg competition, Kuwaiti Abrar Al-Fahad claimed three bronze medals in the snatch (78 kg), clean and jerk (98 kg), and total (176 kg), while North Korea’s Kim Kyong-ryong swept all three golds with lifts of 115 kg, 142 kg, and a total of 257 kg.
Uzbekistan’s Rustamova Mashkora secured three silver medals. At the Arab Championship level, Al-Fahad took all three golds, with compatriot Hanan Al-Amir finishing third in snatch, clean and jerk, and total.
Another Qatari standout, Ikhlef, will compete in the over 86 kg category today, marking her second international appearance after her historic triple-gold performance at the 2025 Islamic Solidarity Games in Riyadh, where she totaled 277 kg.
Qatar's Ouisal Ikhlef will compete in the over 86 kg category in the combined weightlifting championship today.
The men’s events have also been fiercely contested, with Qatari athletes Nader Mohammed Bakr and Fares Ahmed Jaber taking on top competitors in the 94 kg and over 94 kg categories from countries including Morocco, Egypt, Algeria, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Lebanon.
Notable performances across the championships included Omani weightlifter Amer Al-Khanjari, who claimed three golds in the men’s 88 kg category, and Moroccan junior Zahid Abdelrahim, who also achieved triple gold.
In the women’s 69 kg, Tunisian Jawhar Jasmi, Egyptian Abeer Mohamed, and Moroccan Shadia Shaashoui shared the podium across different lifts, with Saudi and Syrian athletes winning medals in youth and junior divisions.
