Today's Edition
KUUMAR SHYAM (ABU DHABI)
The padel pair of Faris Al Janahi and Abdullah Al Abdullah advanced to the men’s doubles quarter-finals at the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya with a straight-sets victory over the Philippines’ Abdulqaher Alyan and Raymark Golfo.
They will face Qatar’s Mishari Nayef and Rashid Nayef in the next round for a place in the semi-finals.
The UAE delegation enters a new phase of its campaign on Thursday, with competition beginning in judo, jiu-jitsu, rugby and show jumping – disciplines identified as offering strong medal prospects. Athletes will also continue in cycling and golf as part of a busy programme.
On behalf of the rugby team, assistant coach Youssef Shaker addressed the UAE media and said the team is "entering the Games with high ambitions. We have developed a plan tailored to our group and the level of our opponents, and we are focused on executing it effectively to help us progress to the latter stages and compete strongly.”
The national side also played a friendly against Hong Kong, one of Asia’s leading rugby sevens teams. “It was an important test for us, giving the players valuable match experience ahead of the competition and strengthening our confidence in our ability to compete and deliver performances worthy of UAE rugby,” he said.
The UAE has been drawn in Group C alongside Sri Lanka, Singapore and the Philippines.
In judo, four athletes will compete: Najad Kazbek (under-73kg), Georgii Elbakiev (-81kg), Mohammed Gad (-90kg) and Mohammed Marouf (over-100kg). Jiu-jitsu contests open with the women’s under-48kg and men’s under-62kg and under-69kg categories.
The show jumping team, featuring Sheikha Latifa bint Ahmed Al Maktoum, Omar Al Marzooqi, Abdullah Al Muhairi and Humaid Al Muhairi, has completed final preparations after all horses passed veterinary inspections.
Mohammed Al Mutaiwaei will contest the track cycling omnium at the Izu Velodrome, while the golf teams continue in the second round of the individual and team events.
In padel, the men’s pair will contest their quarter-final, and sailing continues with athletes in the ILCA classes.
The UAE sits fifth among Arab nations and joint 24th overall in the medal standings with one gold and one silver.
