Kuwait eyes fifth place at Asian Junior Handball Championship

Kuwait awarded a 7-metre throw against Jordan.

AMMAN, Aug 29: Kuwait moved into the fifth-place playoff after defeating host Jordan 25-23 in the placement round of the 11th Asian Junior Handball Championship in Jordan.

Kuwait star Abdulhadi Barak was named Player of the Match for his outstanding performance. He received the award from Asian Handball Federation Technical Director Jassem Al-Dhayab.

The victory booked the team a place in the fifth-sixth place playoff against the winner of the Saudi Arabia- Uzbekistan. The match is scheduled for tomorrow, the final day of the championship, when Kuwait will look to finish the tournament in fifth place.

Kuwait’s hopes of reaching the semi-finals and challenging for the title ended in the quarter-finals after it suffered a 36-28 defeat to South Korea. The loss also ended its hopes of securing qualification for the 2027 World Youth Handball Championship.

Bahrain, Qatar, Iran and South Korea advanced to the semi-finals. Bahrain edged Saudi Arabia 30-28, Qatar cruised past Jordan 33-13, while Iran defeated Uzbekistan 36-24.

The four quarter-final winners secured qualification for the 2027 World Championship. The defeated teams, together with Kuwait, will compete in placement matches for fifth through eighth places as the Asian championship concludes.

By Khaled Al-Enezi

Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff