Ashraf, equestrian trio finish impressive sixth

QATAR had more reasons to have been upbeat about Rio, with hammer thrower Ashraf Amjad Mohammed finishing sixth. The 21-year-old ASPIRE Academy product, making his Olympic debut, entered the final round with an effort of 73.47M.

Ashraf fared even better in the final with a throw of 75.46.

Other Qatari competitors to impress include the equestrian trio of Sheikh Ali bin Khalid Al Thani, Bassem Mohammed and Ali Al Rumaihi, who all made it to the final round in individual show jumping, ending up sixth.

“No one expected us to reach the final in our very first Olympic competition, but I knew we were capable of doing it. I’m proud to have represented my country to the best of my abilities and although we only just finished competing, we already have our sights set on Tokyo 2020,” said Sheikh Ali, who was the flag-bearer of the Qatar contingent at the Opening Ceremony.

Qatari handballers, who were medal prospects, went down 22-34 to European champions and eventual bronze medallists Germany in the quarterfinal.

“There’re some games when nothing works right and the quarterfinal was just one of those,” said Qatar captain Abdulrazzaq Murad.