Manama, October 29 (QNA) - The Qatari national teams continued their participation in the 3rd Asian Youth Games Bahrain 2025, currently underway in Manama until Oct. 31.

  Over 5,000 athletes are participating, representing 45 National Olympic Committees, in contests that also serve as qualifiers for next year's Youth Olympic Games in Dakar.

Qatar's Saud Al Kathiri finished fourth in the Ju-Jitsu 85 kg category after a tough bout against Bahrain's Pedro Jesus, while fellow Qatari Saeed Al Abdullah advanced past Kazakhstan's Yerasyl Sabyr in the round of 32 of the 62 kg class, before bowing out in the round of 16 to Jacob Tudla of the Philippines.

In Judo, Saleh Al Saadi exited the 66 kg competition after facing India's Kartik Sehrawat, while Talal Al Shaib fell to China's Zheng Zhang in the 55 kg Wrestling category.

Qatar's young swimmers showed unwavering spirit though they narrowly missed qualification to the finals, with Ziad Morsy clocking 2:04.06 in the 200 m freestyle heats, while Adam Morsy and Hamza Shaalan competed in the 100 m breaststroke, finishing with times of 1:07.23 and 1:05.66 respectively, while Shaalan missed the final by only 0.21 seconds.

In volleyball, the Qatar girls' team wrapped up their campaign with a spirited showing despite a 0–3 defeat to Hong Kong in the playoff for seventh place.

The Qatar cycling team, comprising Jassim Al Jaber, Abdul Ali Hamza, Mohammed Saeed, and Abdulaziz Al Adawi, concluded their race in the individual road event after a challenging course, marking the end of a demanding yet enriching journey in Manama's streets.

Head of the Qatari Delegation, Mohammed Abdul Salam, underscored that this participation constitutes a vital waypoint in Qatar's long-term preparation drive for the Doha 2030 Asian Games, forming part of an integrated strategy to have a generation of Qatari athletes capable of climbing the podiums in future continental and global arenas, foremost among them ASIAD 2030.

The takeaways from this participation are extremely positive, Abdul Salam affirmed, indicating that he is satisfied with the overall performance, particularly as the team competed in nearly all events, securing medals for the first time in disciplines such as Equestrian Jumping and 3×3 Basketball.

  So far, the Qatar delegation has captured four medals in the Games, a gold clinched by Idris Abubaker in the 110 m hurdles, two silvers claimed by Dana Salem in the 100 m sprint and the Qatar equestrian team in the team show jumping event, and a bronze earned by the Qatar 3×3 basketball team Mohamed Saeed, Azzam Mohamed, Beka Yakani Mboji, and Mohamoudou Diop.

This collective triumph marks not just a tally of medals, but a victory lap of resilience, reaffirming Qatar's steadfast commitment to nurturing its athletic prowess and forging ahead on its journey toward Doha 2030. (QNA)