03 Aug 2025
The hard work and dedication of Aspire Academy’s student-athletes have continued over the summer break, with overseas training camps and competitions.
There have been international events for the Academy’s track and field athletes, fencers, swimmers as well as padel, squash, and table tennis players, as they gain valuable experience of competing outside of Qatar.
Athletics
Aspire Academy’s track and field student-athletes have attended various training camps across Europe, including Poland, Belgium, the UK, and Spain.
The trips gave the young athletes the opportunity to continue their training away from the heat of Doha and to experience a variety of different competitive environments.
The athletes took part in several events, including the prestigious World Youth Games in Gothenburg, Sweden, which featured more than 3,000 participants from around the world.
Aspire Academy student-athletes not only set several personal bests, but also won a total of 12 medals, including eight golds, one silver and three bronze.
Malik Hamdan, impressed with golds in both the high jump and pole vault in the under-14 boys category.
Three other competitors won two medals each in the under-16 category: Saleh Al-Sahoti (gold in the 100 m and bronze in the 110 m hurdles), Aboubakar Idriss (silver in the 100 m and gold in the 110 m hurdles), and part-time athlete Tiamiu Jumaah Jassim (golds in the 100 m and 200 m events).
There were also medals for Mahamat Abakar Hissein (under-17 110 m hurdles gold), Jamaal Badru (under-16 100 m bronze), Jassim Al-Mansouri (under-14 80 m hurdles gold) and Nawaf Bani Oraba (under-14 80 m hurdles bronze).
Lead Athletics Coach at Aspire Academy explained some of the benefits of the various overseas camps and the chance to compete internationally.
“The athletes showed resilience and adaptability, as they coped well with the challenges they faced, including adverse weather conditions,” he said.
“The camps provided a rich blend of competition, training, and personal development.”
“The athletes showed promising progress, and the coaching team gained valuable insights into optimising future camps, which will continue to elevate the standards of Aspire Academy’s athletic development programme.”
Squash
Aspire Academy’s squash players also travelled to Europe and Asia in July for their training camps and competitions.
In early July, Khalid Mohammed Al-Hammadi, who graduated in June, along with student-athletes Mohammed Ali Al-Khalaf and Talal Al-Badr, all travelled to South Korea to represent Qatar at the 32nd Asian Junior Individual Championships 2025.
Also in July, three student-athletes and two Aspire Academy-trained players travelled to the Netherlands to compete in the Dutch Junior Open in Amsterdam.
The event attracted over 500 players from 44 countries and is regarded as one of the most challenging tournaments on the European circuit.
There was a comeback from a year-long injury for Ali Ouda in the under-17’s event as he managed to finish 42nd out of 112 competitors, including a tough five-game match that tested his fitness and determination.
In the under-15s, Omar Farag was unlucky to lose in five games for a spot in the top 8. He was eventually 15th out of 63 players.
In under-13s, Hassan Alian was 36th out of 51 players, while pre-academy’s Maaz Bin Fahad was 19th out of 32 in the under-11s.
Another highlight was a podium finish for Aspire Academy-trained Zoe Makaryous, who beat the US number 3 and the UK number 1 on her way to third place out of the 20 players in the girls under-11 category.
Talal Al Badr then joined the five players as they competed in the European Junior Open in Hamburg, which attracted over 400 players in four age groups for boys and girls.
This tournament didn’t have the under-11 category, so our two youngest players, Maaz Bin Fahad and Zoe Makaryous, both stepped up to play in the under-13 section.
Both coped with the challenge very well, as Maaz Bin Fahad finished 24th out of 42, while Zoe Makaryous beat some higher-ranked players, finishing 8th out of 26.
In the same category, Hassan Alian improved on his performance in Amsterdam and ended 21st out of 42, while Mohammad Eissa Al Tamimi was 30th.
There was disappointment for both Omar Farag in the under-15s and Ali Ouda in the under-17s, as they had to retire due to minor injuries.
Following his appearance at the Asian Junior Championships, Talal Al Badr played some excellent squash in the under-15s to battle for a place in the top 8, eventually clinching 6th place out of 52.
Many of the players have travelled with the Qatar Squash Federation to continue their training and prepare for the Egypt Junior Open, which begins in Cairo on August 6.
Padel
Aspire Academy’s burgeoning padel programme, which launched in 2024, continued its development with the installation of four brand-new courts in the Academy’s iconic dome.
While the new courts were being built, the student-athletes were in Spain for a training camp and to participate in the International Padel Federation (FIP) Promises event in Alicante.
The tournament is part of a global tour for youth padel players, offering our student-athletes the chance to compete on the international stage against tough opposition.
Ali Abdulrahman Al-Malik teamed up with fellow student-athlete Essa Al-Kuwari in the under-14s, while Ali Ebrahim Al-Malik and Abdulrahman Alyafei played with Spanish partners in the under-16 and under-18s, respectively.
All three teams were eventually eliminated by the top seeds in each of the categories.
Table Tennis
The focus for Aspire Academy’s table tennis players were the Asian Youth Championships and the World Table Tennis Youth Contender event in Almaty, Kazakhstan.
The under-19 category at the Asian Youth Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, featured 17-year-old Ahmed Korani and 16-year-old Yousif Abdalla, who also played in the doubles alongside Naser Al Rawad.
Ahmed Korani impressed as he won both his group matches and advanced to the knockout stage, where he lost to Japan’s Ryuusei Kawakami, who went on to reach the semi-finals. Despite that loss, the Aspire Academy student-athlete finished in the top 20.
At the event in Almaty, it was Yousif Abdalla who progressed to the knockout phase in the under-19 category, where he lost to home player Alan Kurmangaliyev, who eventually finished as runner-up.
Ahmed Korani impressed in the under-17 section, winning both group matches before reaching the quarter-finals in the main draw, where he was beaten by the eventual champion, Priyanuj Bhattacharyya of India.
Adam Jmaiel, Iyed Jmaiel, and Essa Al Haddad took part in the under-17 and under-15 categories in Almaty, continuing their development journey while gaining valuable international exposure.
Fencing
Four current student-athletes joined four graduates in representing Qatar at the World Senior Fencing Championships 2025 in Tbilisi, Georgia.
Adham Eldeeb, who will be in grade 11 next year, took part in the individual and team events in the foil competitions.
While Abdulrahman Al Jadra and Ali Alkhlif, who are set to graduate next year, competed alongside Youssef Abdeltawab, who joins grade 11, all competed in the epee individual and team events.
Swimming
Eight of Aspire Academy’s student-athlete swimmers spent time in Greece at a training camp as they started preparations for the Arab Swimming Championships that will be held in Morocco from August 25 to August 29.
The swimmers are set to continue their training from August 2 in Azerbaijan for a second camp as they finalise their readiness for the Arab Championships, with more than 10 Aspire Academy swimmers set to represent Qatar in Morocco.