Asian Youth Beach Handball Championship:
Iran beats Qatar to seal World Championship berth
A fourth successive victory at the 3rd Asian Youth Beach Handball Championship in Bangkok, Thailand, saw Iran secure a place in next year’s World Championship.
Stepping into the competition as the defending champion, Iranian boys defeated Qatar 2-1 on Tuesday to stay atop the seven-team table with eight points.
Taha Vatan Fada and Shayan Sousani were in top form as Iran took the first set 22-20, before the Qataris bounced back in the second to win 18-16 and force the contest into the shootout.
Iranian keeper Mohammad-Hossein Kamali stole the show by denying the Qataris twice to lead his side to a 9-6 shootout win.
Having beaten Oman (2-1), Jordan (2-0), and China (2-1) prior to Tuesday’s outing, Iranian boys will be back in action today against Indonesia, before taking on the host country – and champion in the inaugural event in 2016 – in the final round of fixtures on Friday.
The top three of the final standings will qualify for the World Championship in Tunisia.
Iran defeated France to win the men’s bronze in the 2022 World Championship in Greece.