Iran beats Uzbekistan for Asian U16 volleyball crown
Iran made a clean sweep of seven wins with a victory over Uzbekistan to lift the trophy in the first Asian Men’s U16 Championship in Tashkent.
A day after an epic comeback against the Chinese Taipei in the semifinals secured a place at next year’s U17 World Championship for Iran, Arash Sadeqiani’s boys came from behind to beat the host 3-1 (19-25, 25-22, 25-16, 25-22) in the inaugural final showdown at the Universal Sports Complex – a repeat of the result when the two sides met in the last-eight pool stage.
The triumph rounded off a glorious 14 days for the Iranian age-group volleyball, after the country’s under-21 team had defeated Italy in a five-set thriller in Manama, Bahrain, for a second world title in four years.
Mostafa Sedaqat delivered 16 points from 13 attacks and three aces for Iran, while Mohammad-Raouf Khoshhal and Kamyab Abdollahi contributed with 13 and 11 points respectively.
There was further joy in the awarding ceremony for Iranian Khoshhal, who was named the Most Valuable Player of the event, while sharing the Best Outside Hitter award with the host’s Ogabek Haydarov, who scored a match-high 19 points – including 18 attacks – in the final.
Khoshhal was joined by two Iranian teammates in the Dream Team, as Taha Mohseni was picked as the Best Middle Blocker – alongside Liou Guan-Peng of the Chinese Taipei – with Masoud Eimeri taking home the Best Libero award.
Chinese Taipei’s Huang Pin-Yen (Best Opposite Spiker) and Uzbekistan’s Shohruhxon Halimov (Best Setter) were also rewarded with a place in the Dream Team.
“Thank God all of Iranian players’ efforts paid off,” Iran coach Sadeqiani said after the match, adding: “My players worked hard for five months and had a winning mentality throughout the competition.”
“The next generation of the Iranian volleyball is truly blessed with brave and diligent players.”
Earlier in the day, the Chinese Taipei walked away with a 3-1 (25-13, 18-25, 25-23, 25-22) victory over Pakistan to finish third – joining Iran and Uzbekistan in next year’s U17 World Championship.