UAE fencers strike gold, silver at Arab Women Sports Tournament
- 04 Feb 2024
UAE fencers brought glory to their home country, bagging gold and silver medals in Saber Individuals competitions at the ongoing seventh edition of the Arab Women Sports Tournament (AWST).
The Saber, Epee, and Foil individual matches at Sharjah Women Sports drew the finest fencing talents from across the Arab world, spotlighting the exceptional abilities of UAE’s fencers.
Emirati athlete Mahra Abdullah clinched the gold after defeating her team-mate Asila Darwish, who took home the silver medal. Syrian fencers Mary Aqsm and Haneen Elhamood finished in third place.
Commenting on the win, 20-year-old Mahra, from the Fujairah Martial Arts Club, shared her exhilaration upon securing her first title: “This gold medal marks a pivotal milestone in my career.”
Omani Jana Mohamed Al Sharjya snatched the gold medal after an intense rivalry against Emirati Sheikha Youssef, who settled for silver. Syrian fencer Afrodet Hatem Hatem and Omani Esraa Seif shared the third place.
Sharjya has already amassed an impressive tally of 13 gold medals, a shining beacon of her burgeoning career since 2020. Omani fencers continued their stellar performance in claiming the second gold medal in the Foil individuals. Esraa Seif bagged the gold, while the silver was clinched after an intense match by UAE’s Hamda Ahmed. Emirati Kadija Hamdan and Bahraini Somia Khaled share third place.
15-year-old Seif shared her own story of dedication and triumph. Having embarked on her fencing journey from the sport’s inception in her home country, she boasts a substantial collection of medals from various national and international competitions.
Bahrain’s Abdulrahim claims gold: Bahraini sharpshooter Moza Abdulrahim has clinched the gold medal in the 10-metre Air Pistol Individuals, marking a stellar beginning to the shooting competitions on Sunday.
In a tense finale, Abdulrahim secured her victory after a closely fought contest with Kuwait’s Ghezlan Hassan, concluding the match with a final score of 234.3 points, edging out the Kuwaiti shooter who finished with a commendable 231.9 points to take the silver. The bronze medal was awarded to Oman’s Wadha Albalushi after securing 210.9 points.
Further down the field, the competition remained fierce, with Iraq’s Noor Mohammad finishing in fourth place with 189.8 points. She was closely followed by Emirati Ghaya Alshuhail (168.2 points) and Kuwaiti Asraa Bahman (151.5 points), who secured the fifth and sixth positions, respectively.
The team qualifiers saw an intense battle for supremacy, with Kuwaiti shooters Ghezlan Hassan, Asraa Bahman, and Athari Alblushi leading the pack with a combined score of 1647.26 points. The Iraqi trio of Fatima Abbas, Noor Mohammad, and Aya Khaldon followed closely in second place with 1644.27 points, demonstrating high competition among the participating nations. Securing third place were the Omani shooters Suhair AlJahmani, Wadha Albalushi, and Huria Alyahyaai, who scored 1637.27 points.
Fuheis and shine: Jordan’s Al Fuheis, the reigning basketball champion from the previous edition, alongside the tournament newcomers, Syria’s Al Thawra, have firmly established themselves as the teams to watch, each securing two impressive consecutive wins in the highly competitive event.
Syria’s Al Thawra continued her strong debut on Sunday, facing off Kuwait’s Al-Fatat SC in a match that was as intense as it was thrilling. Opening the game, Al Thawra took an early lead, finishing the first quarter with a score of 21-19. However, the Kuwaiti team overturned the deficit to secure a 45-point second quarter, which saw them leading by 9 points at the half.
SWSC dominate: The excitement of the tournament soared on Sunday in the eastern coastal city of Khor Fakkan, with volleyball teams in Group B vying for their first victories in the 12-day event.
In a display of sheer dominance, the UAE’s Sharjah Women’s Sports Club (SWSC) faced off against Syrian Taldara SC, securing an impressive 75-53 win. The game unfolded over three sets, with the host team maintaining consistent strength and strategy throughout, winning the first and second sets with identical scores of 25-21 and sealing their triumph with an impressive 25-11 win in the third set.