Qatar defeated Bahrain to win its third consecutive gold medal at the Asian Men’s Handball Games in Hangzhou, China, on Thursday. Bahrain led 14-12 in the first half of the match. In the second half, Qatar rallied and took the lead, which they never gave back. Just 13 minutes into the final, Bahrain’s Mohamed Habib Hassan Ahmed was given a red card for a foul, but Qatar recovered in the second half and managed to come back. 32-25 victory. Battles in the Middle East were characterized by clinical gunfire from the perimeter. Qatar converted more than three-quarters (76 percent) of its shots, joining its 2014 Incheon and 2018 Jakarta-Palembang titles. Qatar captain Ahmed Mahdi was delighted with his team’s achievement. “I’m very happy to win the gold medal, especially since the competition was so strong,” he said. With three days left until the end of the Asian Games, Qatar has won 14 medals, including five gold, six silver and three bronze. Reigning Olympic champion Fares Ibrahim will compete today in the 109kg category and aim to win gold for Qatar. The star weightlifter won silver at the 2018 Asiad. Qatari Jiu-Jitsu athlete Ahmed Al Jahani Athletes are also scheduled to compete today. Al Jahani, who competed in the round of 32 in the men’s 77kg category held at the Xiaoshan Linpu Gymnasium, faces a challenge from Kazakhstan’s Azbek Shamshev for the top 16 place. Meanwhile, Ali Al Jarrahma lost to Jordan’s Khalil Arnaut in the men’s 69kg round. After winning the silver medal in the team event on Wednesday, Qatari showjumpers Bassem Hassan Mohamed (Incredible W), Fareh Al Ajami (Ghana) and Sheikh were joined by fellow Qatari karate expert Adam Hashem. He was eliminated from the medal race in the men’s individual event. In today’s individual event, Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al-Thani (Ireland VDL) and Rashid Al-Marri (Concordes NRW) will be aiming for medals.