Doha: Qatari athletes will be eyeing a rich haul of medals when they compete against the best at the Asian Junior Athletics Championships set to begin on Thursday in Gifu, Japan.
Qatar will field 11 athletes at the premier junior track and field championship which will take place at the Gifu Nagaragawa Stadium.
Secretary-General of Qatar Athletics Federation (QAF) and Chef de Mission, Issa Al Fadalah said that the Qatari team will be looking to win many medals to showcase the country’s excellence in athletics.
The head of the mission also said that the chances of winning medals remained high as the current generation includes a group of talented athletes who have achieved many laurels recently. He also said that the Qatari athletes have proved their excellence in the continental and international arena at the youth level.
The five-day event will see athletes from 44 Asian countries, aged 16, 17, 18 or 19 years as of December 31, 2018 competing in 44 event disciplines.
At the previous edition of the championship which was held in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam two years ago, Qatar won two gold medals and same number of silver medals to finish eighth in the overall medal standings.
Qatari athletes still account for eight Championship records.
Junior Championships in athletics in Asia have been held since 1986 and this time, it will be the 18th occasion that the future of Asian Athletics will again be vying for top honours.
