Asian Beach Games:
Iran coach Qashqaeirad hails ‘courage, dedication’ after handball glory
Iran beach handball head coach Mahdi Qashqaeirad was full of praise for his players’ “courage and dedication” after a shootout victory over three-time champion Qatar in the men’s final at the Asian Beach Games in Sanya, China.
Stepping into Wednesday’s showdown on the back of six wins in as many games, Iran dominated the first period, winning 18-10, before Qatar bounced back with a 15-10 victory in the second to force the contest into a decisive shootout.
The Iranians converted all their attempts, while goalkeeper Ali Heidarian saved Qatar’s third effort, as Qashqaeirad’s men secured the country’s ninth gold medal at the multi-sport event.
“The match was of exceptional intensity – it truly felt like playing in an Olympic or Asian Games final,” Qashqaeirad said after the game.
“Qatar entered the Games with extensive support and immense pressure, but I sincerely thank my players for their courage and dedication. They did a great job of managing the game and proceeded in a composed manner,” the Iranian coach added.
“Fortunately, we had planned for this situation in advance and practiced it thoroughly,” Qashqaeirad said.
A haul of nine golds and one silver saw Iran – represented by 57 athletes across 10 sports – finish third in the medal table of the sixth edition of the Games. Host China topped the standings with 24 golds, with Thailand finishing runner-up with 10.
The penultimate day of action saw Iran also taste glory with four gold medals in beach wrestling, as well as the top prize in beach soccer and water polo.
Hassan Ajami got Iran off the mark by winning gold in the men’s shot put on Sunday, followed by the kabaddi team stunning India 44-31 in the men’s final on Monday.
The country’s only silver medal came in the men’s beach volleyball event after the pair of Abolhassan Khakizadeh and Amirali Qalenoei suffered a straight-set loss (21-15, 21-12) to the high-profile Qatari duo of Cherif Samba and Ahmed Janko in the final.