12 Jun 2022
Aspire Academy graduate student-athlete and Qatar’s Olympic and world champion in high jump Mutaz Barshim along with other former and current student-athletes excelled at the recently concluded 3rd GCC Games in Kuwait, where they represented Qatar.
Aspire Academy student athletes collected two other gold medals from swimming and fencing events.
Overall, Aspire Academy student athletes collected a total of 24 medals including four gold, 12 silver and eight bronze medals.
Mutaz shared the gold with compatriot Hamdi Ali in high jump that helped Qatar top the table in athletics competition with nine gold, six silver and four bronze medals overall.
Star Qatari hurdler and Aspire Academy student-athlete Saeed Al Absi lived up to his mark by winning a silver in men’s 110m hurdles final.
Al Absi clocked 14.08secs behind Kuwait’s Yaqoub Al Youha (13.65secs) while Oman’s Khalfan Al Jabri took the bronze (15.04secs).
Moaz Ibrahim (Discus Throw) and Musab Ali (1500m) were the other two silver medalists.
Athletics is one of the important branches at the Aspire Academy, which boasts of structured framework specific to age, ability and relative performance measures.
Youssef Hassan rules the pool with GCC record
Aspire Academy-Athlete Yousef Hassan ruled the pool at the Sheikh Nasser Al Mohammed Aquarium Complex after he set a new GCC Games record in the men’s 200m backstroke final.
The Aspire Academy-Athlete clocked 2:09.62min for the gold.
Qatari swimmers ended their campaign in the regional competition with 18 medals (three gold, eight silver and seven bronze).
A chunk of these medals (one gold, 7 silver and 7 bronze) were claimed by Academy students, who were confidence personified at the regional multi-sports competition.
Another youngster, Mohamed Mahmoud also used this opportunity to leave an indelible impression of his hard work and a steely resolve.
The 18-year-old finished third in the 100m freestyle event to add to his silver (100m breaststroke).
The duo of Yousef and Mahmoud helped Qatar win the silver in the 4x100m freestyle relay while Kareem Salama picked up a bronze in the 800m freestyle.
The over-all strong performance by Qatari swimmers at the GCC Games also re-affirmed Aspire Academy’s long-term vision on producing talented athletes for the various national teams.
Fencers shine
The trio of Ali Turki, Khaled Aref and Abdullah Khalifa added the fourth gold when they won the Foil event in fencing.
Ali also claimed a silver medal in the individual event of (foil).
The fencers’ recent achievements speak volumes of the dedication and hard work that had been put in at Aspire Academy to churn out success for the country in fencing competitions.
“I’m immensely happy with my performance. I’m grateful to my coaches and all the staff at Aspire Academy where I’ve learned the nuances of fencing,” said Ali.
The 22-yer-old has had competed in several top international events in the past including the FIE Fencing Grand Prix Qatar.
Table Tennis players won two silver
Qatar men’s table tennis team that also comprised of Aspire Academy students -- Mohamed Abdulwahab and Abdullah Abdulwahab – came close to winning the team title but finished second behind Saudi Arabia.
Mohamed, a senior player with the Qatar national team, added his second medal after he claimed the bronze in the men’s individual event.
All Medal-Winners (Aspire Academy Athletes)
Athletics:
Gold: Ahmed El Seify (Hammer Throw); Mutaz Barshim (High Jump)
Silver: Saeed Al Absi (110m Hurdles); Moaz Ibrahim (Discus Throw); Musab Ali (1500m)
Swimming
Gold: Yousef Hassan (200m Backstroke)
Silver: Mohamed Mahmoud + Yousef Hassan – 4x100m Relay Medley; Kareem Salama: 1500m Freestyle; Omra Hassan: Individual Medley; Mohamed Mahmoud + Yousef Hassan: 4x100m Freestyle Relay; Mohamed Mahmoud: 100m Breaststroke; Omar Hassan: 200m Medley; Abdullah Al Ghamry + Mohamed Mahmoud + Omar Hassan: 4x200m Freestyle
Bronze: Kareem Salama (800m Freestyle); Mohamed Mahmoud (100m butterfly); Yousef Hassan (100m Backstroke); Mohamed Mahmoud (50m freestyle); Abdallah Al Ghamry (200m Backstroke); Omar Hassan (200m Breaststroke); Mohamed Masri (100m Freestyle)
Table Tennis
Silver: Mohamed Abdulwahab/Abdullah Abdulwahab (Team);
Bronze: Mohamed Abdulwahab (Individual)
Fencing
Gold: Ali Turki/Khaled Aref/Abdullah Khalifa (Foil Men’s Team);
Silver: Ali Turki (Foil Men’s Individual)