Qatar’s strong shooting contingent aims to raise bar at Asian Games

Doha, Qatar: Qatar will send a strong 28-member shooting and archery contingent to the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, aiming to build on a long record of continental and international success.

The squad features experienced shooters including Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah, Rashid Saleh Al-Athba, Mohammed Ahmed Al-Rumaihi, Reem Al-Sharshani, Hajar Ghulam, Sarah Ghulam, Ray Basil, Kholoud Al-Khalaf, Maitha Al-Binali, Saeed Abu-Sharib, Angelo Scalzone and Al-Maha Al-Ali. tbzikra.com

Qatar won three shooting medals at the Hangzhou 2023 Asian Games. Al-Attiyah, Masoud Saleh Al-Athba and Rashid Al-Athba took silver in the men’s skeet team event, while Al-Attiyah added an individual bronze. Al-Athba and Al-Sharshani also won bronze in mixed skeet. Al-Rumaihi finished fourth in trap.

الأخبارالســد والدحيــــل.. قمـــة ناريـــةتختتم الجولة السادسة بلقاء من العيار الثقيل يجمع السد بالدحيل استاد جاسم بن حمد، الذي يحتضن في الساعة السابعة و45 دقيقة مساءً، ضمن منافسات الجولة السادسة لدوري نجوم بنك الدوحة، ...فتح →

The Hangzhou haul continued a strong Asian Games record. Qatar won gold and bronze in 2002, one silver and three bronze medals at Doha 2006, one gold, one silver and two bronze at Guangzhou 2010, two gold and one bronze at Incheon 2014, and a bronze at Jakarta 2018.

Al-Attiyah has also been the standout figure on the Olympic stage. Qatar has competed in shooting at every Olympics since Atlanta 1996, with Al-Attiyah winning skeet bronze at London 2012.

Al-Rumaihi competed at Tokyo 2020, while Saeed Abusharib and Rashid Al-Athba represented Qatar at Paris 2024.

The team arrives in Japan with strong recent form. At the Doha 2026 Gulf Games, Qatari shooters won 26 medals, including 12 gold, six silver and eight bronze.

Their latest international success came at the ISSF World Cup in China, where Al-Athba won skeet gold and Scalzone took trap silver. It marked the first time Qatar had won individual gold and silver at an ISSF World Cup.

Jassim Shaheen Al-Sulaiti, Secretary General of the Qatar Shooting and Archery Federation, said the team is targeting medals after an extensive preparation programme.

“The national team is entering the Nagoya Asian Games with the ambition to continue its winning streak from recent Gulf, continental, and international competitions,” Al-Sulaiti told QNA.

He said the 28 shooters will compete in skeet, trap, pistol and rifle, in addition to archery, with the aim of producing strong performances and competing for medals.

Al-Sulaiti added that preparations included tournaments and training camps in eight European and Asian countries, while the World Cup results in China underlined the progress being made by Qatari shooting.

The Aichi-Nagoya Games run from September 19 to October 4. Qatar’s 243-strong delegation is competing in 26 sports and 32 disciplines. With QNA input

The first local race for purebred Arabian camels for the 2026-2027 season continued for the eighth day, organized by the Camel Racing Committee and running until September 18, with a large turnout from fans of this traditional sport.

The race competitions take place over 12 consecutive days in the morning only, with 5 days for the camels of Their Highnesses and Sheikh Al-Saada, followed by 7 days for the camels of the tribes.

Today's races were intense and exciting, featuring 20 heats for the foals (general heats) over a distance of 4 kilometers, with 12 heats for female foals and 8 heats for male foals. In the first heat for open female foals, /Dalila/ owned by Mohammed Abdullah Mohammed Saeed Al-Naabet excelled, delivering an outstanding performance that allowed her to take the top spot in the heat, completing the race in a time of 6:15.98 minutes, ahead of /Malath/ owned by Mohammed Abdulhadi Al-Buraidi, who came in second with a time of 6:19.56 minutes.

In the main race designated for older horses, Dalham, owned by Ali Fahad Al-Safran, secured first place, recording a time of 6:15.20 minutes, leaving the runner-up position to Al-Wasmi, owned by Saleh Matar Al-Dosari, with a time of 6:16.35 minutes. Rasi, owned by Rashid Mohammed Al-Marri, came in third with a time of 6:20.67 minutes.

As for the best times of today's competitions, it was in the eighth race designated for older horses, achieved by Mumez, owned by Jaber Mohammed Al-Marri, who covered the 4-kilometer distance in a time of 6:07.29 minutes.

The competitions of the first local race will continue tomorrow, Tuesday, with the organization of 30 races for the age of horses (general races) over a distance of 4 kilometers, with 20 races for young horses and 10 races for older horses.

Manchester: Erling Haaland fired 10-man Manchester City to a memorable 1-0 victory over Manchester United despite Phil Foden's first-half red card to extend a perfect start to Enzo Maresca's reign.

Foden kicked out at United captain Bruno Fernandes on 23 minutes to give the visitors a mountain to climb.

But a new-look City were up to the challenge as the near £250 million ($340 million) midfield pairing of Elliot Anderson and Enzo Fernandez proved their worth.

Haaland's winner was laced with controversy as Fernandez was deemed not to be interfering with play when he attempted to head in before the ball reached the Norwegian.

Defeat compounds a miserable Premier League start for United as they are already eight points adrift of City and defending champions Arsenal.

By contrast, victory was a huge statement for Maresca to quell fears of a major drop-off from City following Pep Guardiola's trophy-laden decade in charge.

A fervent pre-match atmosphere was fuelled just as much by United fans' anger towards their own club as it was by the usual animosity between the supporters.

A crackdown on ticket touting in recent months has resulted in widespread condemnation from supporters' groups after many innocent people faced the threat of sanction.

A normal array of banners and flags in the Stretford End was replaced by just one bearing the message: "The way you treat us is a disgrace."

The visitors had made the better start in the opening quarter but looked to have been completely undone by Foden's ill discipline.

City will argue Fernandes should also have seen red as he fouled Foden and then kicked him in the back.

But there was little case for Foden's defence as he retaliated by throwing both legs up into Fernandes's midriff.

Kobbie Mainoo blocked Rayan Cherki's goalbound effort before Youri Tielemans nearly sliced Antoine Semenyo's cross into his own net as City continued to be the more threatening.

Marcus Rashford was inches away from his first United goal since December 2024 when his free-kick came crashing back off the post with United's best effort before the break.

The woodwork came to City's rescue again just after half-time when Mainoo curled onto the post from distance and the ball rebounded kindly into Gianluigi Donnarumma's grasp.

But the City sucker punch arrived on the hour mark.

Haaland adjusted his body brilliantly to sweep in Josko Gvardiol's deflected cross.

A VAR review deemed Haaland was onside and that Fernandez was not interfering as he stooped to try and head in himself.

City came close to landing the telling blow when Fernandez's effort was turned onto the post by Senne Lammens.

Haaland also should have had a second when he got onto Fernandez's wicked low free-kick delivery.

City, though, were not made to pay for failing to add a second as United lacked the composure and quality to make the man advantage count until the final minute of stoppage time.

Fernandes's reverse ball perfectly picked out Bryan Mbeumo but he was denied by a fine save from Donnarumma.

Maresca scampered down the touchline in delight at full-time.

After a battle for the title went down to the final week of last season, Arsenal and City look a class apart from the competition once more.

Both are locked on 12 points with Chelsea, Liverpool and United already cut adrift.

Berlin: The United States secured a record-extending 12th FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup title after defeating France 97-79 in the final in Berlin on Sunday. The USA delivered a dominant second-half performance to overcome a spirited French side and claim another Women’s Basketball World Cup championship.

The US are perennial red-hot favourites at this tournament and had not lost a World Cup match since 2006, but they were below their best for much of the competition.

They trailed by two points at half-time to an energetic France side but turned it on when it mattered, outscoring the Europeans 30-12 in the third quarter.

American veteran Breanna Stewart once again led from the front, scoring a game-high 22 points along with 10 rebounds and four assists as she became the first player to be named World Cup MVP a second time.

"I'm really happy the way we let the rest of the world know our goal is always gold," she told reporters, while describing the country's World Cup record as "an insane stat".

Coach Kara Lawson called Stewart "the greatest winner that we've had probably".

Jackie Young hit four crucial threes and finished with 18 points to extend the US record to 36 wins in a row at the tournament.

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark scored just one point in the semi-final but chipped in with some crucial buckets down the stretch, scoring 12 points including two threes as the Americans silenced the pro-France crowd.

"We kind of got in a little bit of a hole there," Clark told reporters of the second-quarter.

"And then we came back in and kind of dug ourselves out of it.

"That run we went on into halftime and then came out in the second half and really just dominated from there."

Playing in their first ever World Cup final, France were seeking revenge for their one-point loss in the gold medal match at the 2024 Paris Olympics but lost their composure as the Americans turned on the afterburners in the second half, committing 16 turnovers.

France's Gabby Williams, the player of the match in their semi-final win over Germany, scored an impressive 16 points in the opening half but added just four more after that.

- Americans vulnerable -

The US, huge favourites who are used to dominating World Cups and the Olympics, came into Sunday's game looking vulnerable, having come close to defeats against unheralded Italy and again against Spain in the semi-finals.

No team had come within 20 points of France as they cruised into a maiden World Cup final and started strongly, ending the opening quarter with a three-point lead and running out to a 14-point gap midway through the second.

Forced to up the ante, the US fought back with Young hitting two quick-fire threes and Clark grabbing one of her own seconds before half-time, cutting France's lead to two points.

The US were far more composed after that, with Clark finding her range from the field.

The favourites took the steam out of the match in the fourth as they kept the French at bay.

Earlier on Sunday, Spain soothed the disappointment of their narrow semi-final loss to the US by claiming bronze with an 81-58 win over Germany.

The Spanish went close to a major boilover on Saturday, pushing the heavily favoured Americans all the way in their semi-final, levelling the scores at 58-58 three-quarters of the way through the match, before the US pulled away.

On Sunday, Spain were in control throughout against the spirited but limited hosts, who had never reached the final four of the tournament as a unified country.

Top-scorer Iyana Martin was one assist away from a double-double, with 20 points while grabbing a game-best nine dimes.