Qatar’s volleyball duo aims to better its Tokyo 2020 bronze as hurdle racer Samba will get redemption for a narrowly missed medal last time.
Qatar’s high-flying beach volleyball duo has qualified for the semifinals at the Paris Olympics Games 2024, defeating Team USA on straight sets at the Champ de Mars on Wednesday.
Cherif Younousse and Ahmed Tijan defeated Miles Partain and Andrew Benesh in straight sets – 21-14 and 21-16 – to maintain their perfect record in the tournament.
The Qatari duo has lost only one set in five games so far, against the Swedish duo of David Ahman and Jonatan Hellvig – their semifinal opponents on Thursday at 11:00 pm Doha time.
Team Sweden defeated the Brazilian side in straight sets en route to the semis at the Eiffel Tower Center Court.
A win on Thursday’s game will guarantee a better result finish than Younousse and Tijan’s bronze-winning effort at Tokyo 2020.
Samba keeps medal hopes alive
Qatar’s Abdrrehman Samba will race in the final of the men’s 400-meter hurdle, keeping his maiden Olympic medal hopes alive.
The 28-year-old clocked a time of 48.20 seconds at the Stade de France on Wednesday, entering as one of two fastest athletes falling out of the direct qualification positions.
Bassem Hemeida and Ismail Abakar, two other Qatari contenders in the same event, have already bowed out.
While Abakar’s run in Paris ended with him being unable to finish in the qualifying heat, Hemeida could not better his timings in the repechage.
Samba missed out on bronze by just four-hundredths of a second in Tokyo three years ago and bounced back to win gold at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou.
He still boasts the fifth-best timing ever recorded in the 400-metre hurdle.
Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani, President of the Qatar Olympic Committee, congratulated Samba and the volleyball duo for advancing in their respective competitions.
“Congratulations to our champions,” he wrote on X following the events. “You deserve it, heroes.”
Reigning Olympic champion Mutaz Barshim had already booked a spot in the final at the men’s high jump qualifiers on Wednesday.
