Kazakhs Bogatu/Yakovlev took bronze
Ningbo, China, September 28, 2023 – Reigning champions Ahmed Tijan/Cherif Younousse of Qatar, current world No. 3 and Tokyo Olympic Games bronze medalists, proved their superiority over Abuduhalikejiang/Wu Jiaxin after stunning the host duo 2-0 (21-19, 21-16) in the final showdown of the 19th Asian Games Hangzhou 2022 Men’s Beach Volleyball Competition on Thursday here at Xiangshan Beach Volleyball Center.
Cheered by thousands of home spectators, Abuduhalikejiang/Wu Jiaxin pushed hard against the powerful opponents from the beginning.
However, Qatar held the position and stuck to the hosts all the way. Both sides showcased their techniques in attacking and defense, which drew high praise from the audience.
The set turned out to be a seesaw battle. China took the narrow lead to reach the set point at 20-19 but they just let the win slip through their fingers. The Qataris scored two crucial points in a row to catch them at 20-20 and surged away to seal the first set 22-20.
Holding 1-0 advantage, Ahmed/Cherif played more flexibly in the second set. With targeted services and piercing attacks, they surged ahead Abuduhalikejiang/Wu to an initial 6-2 lead. China requested a timeout and thereafter, they seemed to be recharged for a series of heavy counterattacks.
They intensified aggressiveness of their service and narrowed the margin 10-11. But they also committed several service errors, which stopped their chasing pace. Qatar allowed no more chance for China and wrapped up the second set 21-16 for the match and the gold medal.
“It feels great to win the gold medal back to back at Asian Games. We are here to bring our national flag highest possible as we did in the Olympics, winning the bronze medal as no one else expected. It is a great pleasure to be here playing Asian Games with such fancy facilities, great court. It feels like to play in Olympics as everything is perfect. I would like to mark 10 points for the organization,” said Cherif.
“The final is never easy. The first set was not easy at all. They were playing at home. We just tried to keep our mind focused to each single point, to each single bout,” he added.
“Unfortunately, we did not win the match. We let all the supporters down. We were so close to winning the first set but we failed. It is the game. Anyway, we have tried our best,” said Abuduhalikejiang of China. “They are a strong team. Our strategy was to push them from the…
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