The injury prevented Qatari champion Moataz Barshim from competing in the final of the high jump competition, scheduled for Sunday, within the “Asian Games” in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.
Attention was drawn to Barshim’s participation, in light of the expectations placed on him to continue his achievements in the “Asiad” and add a new medal to his distinguished record.
Barshim has 3 gold medals in the Asian Games, which he won in Guangzhou, China in 2010, and Incheon, South Korea in 2014, before he missed the Jakarta edition in 2018 due to injury, then returned to win gold in Hangzhou, China in 2022.
Barshim recorded the second-best number in the history of the competition (2.35 metres) during the previous Asian Games, and in the current edition he was looking forward to continuing his presence on the podium and enhancing his historical record in the Asian Games.
Bahraini Ingrid Grosio won the bronze medal in the 69-kilogram weightlifting competition on Sunday at the Asian Games held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.
Grozio raised Bahrain's tally in the tournament to 12 medals, with 7 gold, 2 silver, and 3 bronze, ranking it 8th in the overall standings.
Grosio, of Colombian origin and 20 years old, is considered one of the most prominent Asian and international talents, after she won 3 medals at the “World Weightlifting Championships” last year in Norway: silver in the clean, bronze in the snatch, and bronze in the total.
The gold medal went to North Korea's Hyang Song, after she broke the world record by recording a total of 273 kilograms in the snatch and clean, while Taiwanese Chen Wen-huai won silver.
This is the sixth gold medal for North Korea in the current Asian Games, all of which were achieved in weightlifting competitions.
Issam Al-Subhi, the Omani national team player, acknowledged that his team’s players bear full responsibility for the heavy loss to the Saudi national team, stressing that the changes that occurred in the national team’s ranks and the presence of a number of young players cannot be an excuse for the result.
Speaking to the media after the match, Al-Sobhi said: “We as a group bear full responsibility for this heavy result on us. Of course, there are many changes in the national team, but this is not an excuse, and we will try to compensate in the next match, and, God willing, we can make our fans happy, who deserve to be happy.”
Regarding the impact of the entry of a large number of new elements with coach Tariq Al-Saktiwi, he said: “When the group is renewed, it always needs some time to adapt, but, as I said, this is not an excuse. We bear full responsibility for this negative result, and we will try to correct things in the next match and make our fans happy.”
Al-Subhi praised the level of organization of the tournament in Saudi Arabia, saying: “The organization is at the highest level, and frankly the tournament is organized in all aspects, and all things are easy for us. We wish success for the tournament, and we hope to continue it to the fullest extent.”
Regarding the difference between playing at Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium and Al-Jawhara Stadium, he explained: “I think the difference was in the timing of the match. The first match was held in the afternoon, and the atmosphere was somewhat different, but at night the atmosphere was better and more conducive to playing. Whatever the circumstances, we must adapt to them and give our best.”
Regarding the pitches of the two stadiums, Al-Subhi said: “The pitches of the two pitches are good, and certainly each pitch has its own standards, but in the end it is equal for both teams, and not for one team over the other, and we must give everything we have on the pitch.”
For his part, Abdul Majeed Al Balushi, the Omani national team player, spoke about the reasons for the loss, and told the media: “First, I would like to congratulate the Saudi national team on the victory, as it is a respectable team. Perhaps the players entered the first half with less concentration, and the Saudi team was able to score three goals, and we tried to remedy the situation in the second half, but unfortunately we were not able to do so.”
Regarding the Omani team’s chances of qualifying, Al Balushi said: “There is certainly still a chance, and we will enter the next match better than we appeared in this match, and we will try to achieve victory and score the largest number of goals.”
Regarding the improvement of the Omani team’s performance in the second half compared to the first, he said: “Perhaps, as I mentioned, the players entered the first half with less focus, and in the second half we tried to remedy the situation and score goals, but unfortunately we were not able to do that.”
