Kuwait ends Asian Championship on a high note with fifth place

The Kuwaitis celebrate after edging Chinese Taipei for fifth place at the 19th Asian Men's Junior Handball Championship in China.

BEIJING, July 27: Kuwait finished fifth at the 19th Asian Men's Junior Handball Championship in China after edging Chinese Taipei 30-29 in an exciting fifth-place playoff.

Kuwait produced a series of strong performances throughout the tournament, advancing to the latter stages and demonstrating the potential of a talented young squad capable of representing Kuwaiti handball with distinction in future international competitions. Salem Al-Mahmoud was named Player of the Match for his standout display.

South Korea claimed the championship title after defeating the United Arab Emirates in the final, while Saudi Arabia secured third place and Bahrain finished fourth.

Kuwait's squad consisted of Hassan Mundhir, Obaid Al-Shammari, Abdulrahman Al-Hashal, Hussein Bouland, Salem Al-Mahmoud, Yousef Madwah, Hussein Mundhni, Mohammed Faisal, Yaqoub Hassan, Abdulatif Salmeen, Hassan Rajab, Abdulwahab Al-Mutawa, Hassan Bouland, Saad Al-Khamis, Faisal Al-Enezi, Hussein Sami, Khairallah Abdullah, and Abdulatif Al-Wuhaib.

The team was coached by Danish head coach Hani Jensen, with Saud Mufreh serving as assistant coach, Yassine Idrissi as goalkeeping coach, and Yousef Al-Shaheen as team manager.

By Khaled Al-Enezi

Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff