Sharjah: Reigning champions Al Fuheis of Jordan retained their basketball crown in the seventh edition of the Arab Women Sports Tournament (AWST), which came to a close on Monday. The Jordan club had to ward off a stiff challenge from Syrian newcomers Al Thawra, who bolstered their status as title contenders throughout the championship. Bahrain’s Al Ahli clinched the bronze medal after their win against Saudi Capital 65-57.
The grand finale witnessed the reigning champions, Al Fuhais and Al Thawra, going neck to neck during the first half. The first quarter concluded with a score of 13-11 and the second at 25-20, clearly demonstrating the robust defence put up by both teams. In the third quarter, the Jordanian team used their past experiences to good effect and intensified their offensive to widen the gap against the newcomers to end the quarter at 49-37. The final quarter saw Al Fuhais extend their lead further to win the gold 72-50.
Awards ceremony
The winners were honoured during the closing ceremony in the presence of Sheikh Khaled Bin Ahmed Al Qasimi, Chairman of AWST Higher Steering Committee; Sheikha Hayat bint Abdulaziz Al Khalifa, Chairwoman of the Equal Opportunities and Gender Equality Committee at the Arab National Olympic Committees; Hilal Al Hazami, Chairman of Sharjah Sports Council; Abdulaziz Al Anzi, Secretary-General of the Arab National Olympic Committees; Faisal Ghasal, Sports and Youth Administration Representative and Minister Plenipotentiary at the League of Arab States, Hanan Al Mahmoud, Vice-Chairman of the Higher Steering Committee for AWST, and Noura Al Shamsi, Director of AWST.
Earlier in the day, Egypt’s Sporting Club were crowned volleyball champions after a deserving 3-0 victory over Kuwait’s Salwa Alsabah in the final. The Egyptian champions, who finished runners-up last year, fulfilled their dreams of winning the title with a clean sweep in three sets (25-21, 25-5, and 25-16).
Meanwhile, the UAE’s Sharjah Women’s Sports Club secured the bronze medal in the tournament with a hard-earned and deserved 3-2 victory over Lebanon’s Byblos in a thrilling five-setter. The hosts won 2-0 after winning the first two sets 27-25 and 25-15, but the Byblos players had a different agenda, delivering a stellar performance to win the third and fourth sets 25-20 and 25-20, leading to a fifth set to decide the coveted bronze. The Sharjah players regained momentum and secured the set and the match 15-8.
Sharjah clinch archery gold
The Sharjah Women’s Sports Club clinched the gold in the compound bow teams competition, which took place at Al Bataih Club on Sunday. The finale saw the hosts emerge victorious against the Abu Dhabi Archery Club.
Sharjah’s victory was secured with a compelling 209 to 151 points, outperforming Abu Dhabi across four final rounds with scores of 53-33, 53-38, 53-38, and 50-42. The victorious Sharjah team was comprised of Amina Al Awadhi, Fatima Ahmed, and Hamda Al Mazmi.
In individual competitions, Amina Al Awadhi of the Sharjah Women’s Sports Club won gold in the compound bow following a thrilling final against Kuwaiti Hanan Al Miyaas. The match, which extended over five rounds, ended in Al Awadhi’s favour, scoring 136 to 131 points.
In recurve bow, Bahrain’s Suha Sheikh clinched the gold medal in the individual category, overcoming Saudi Sama Kanfer, who bagged the silver medal in a closely contested final, concluding with a score of 5-4. Alia Al Ali from the Abu Dhabi Archery Club secured the bronze medal after winning against Bahraini Sarah Arzooq.
Al Thuqbah Club from Saudi Arabia eased to the recurve bow team gold after a 6-0 win against the Sharjah team comprising Hessa Al Awadhi, Mariam Al Saigh and Meera Al Saigh, who clinched the silver medal. The bronze medals were awarded to Bahraini Club, who included the trio Mariam Anbar, Mariam Ahmed and Suha Sheikh, following their 6-2 victory over the Abu Dhabi Archery Club.
Bahrain duo clinch doubles gold
Syria’s Hind Zaza secured the individual gold in table tennis after a narrow win over Egypt’s Reem Al Iraqi in the final on Sunday. The bronze medals were awarded to Bahraini Mariam Abdullah and Egypt’s Hanaa Ibrahim.
In the doubles competition, Bahrain’s Mariam Abdullah and Amrita Amit clinched the gold, leaving Egyptian duo Reem Al Iraqi and Fatima Alaa Al Din with the silver medal. Meanwhile, the bronze medals were awarded to the Kuwaiti players Mariam Abdul Rahim and Manwa Al Shammari and Syria’s Hind Abdul Raouf and Ibaa Ali.
