Qatari gymnast Ahmed Al Dayani
Pommel horse specialist Ahmed Al Dayani will the ‘main’ hope for hosts Qatar at the star-studded 10th FIG Artistic World Cup which will kick off today at the Aspire Academy.
Apart from the seasoned Al Dayani, Qatar will be represented by rookies Ahmed Mosa and Jana Elkeky in the four-day competition which will see a total of 240 gymnasts from 30 countries in action.
Al Dayani enjoyed a successful 2016 finishing at a respectable seventh place in the Apparatus World Cup competition. The 23-year-old is now targeting an improvement in his position this year and the President of Qatar Gymnastics Federation (QGF) President Ali Al Hitmi is optimistic of a good show from the Qatari pommel horse maestro this season.
“Al Dayani has the quality to match the world’s best gymnasts,” Al Hitmi told The Peninsula at Aspire Dome on the eve of the opening day of the competition.
“He (Al Dayani) will be our main hope and the Qatari fans can expect a good show from him. The other two gymnasts (Ahmed Mosa and Jana Elkeky) are just making their debut so we are not expecting much from them. They are very talented but it will be a tough competition out there. We want to give them experience of the highest level so that they can prepare for the forthcoming events including the Islamic Games in May (in Baku),” said Al Hitmi.
“Our gymnasts have been preparing well and they have shown significant improvement in recent times.”
Romanian giant Marian Dragulescu, winner of more than two dozen Olympic medals, and Australian 2010 CW Games delight Emily Little are among the superstars competing in the event which will see an unprecedented number of participants .
Hungary’s 2012 Olympic champion Krisztian Berki, the pommel horse maestro, and Romanian veteran Catalina Ponor, who has featured in three Olympic Games, will also be part of the competition.
The QGF president hoped this year’s FIG Artistic World Cup edition will be the best so far by the QGF.
“Qatar’s best gymnastics event was the Asian Games in 2016 and after that we are hopeful that the 2017 edition of the World Cup will be the best. We are ready to deliver another great event and we hope that this event will help us further in promotion of gymnastics in Qatar.”
Meanwhile, Rima Zinal Kizilgun, the Asian Gymnastics Union President, sounded pleased with the arrangements made by the QGF for the event.
“Qatar has been hosting a very good event since a decade,” she told The Peninsula.
“I have attended many editions here in Doha and I can easily say it’s one of the best events in the continent. I am excited about this year’s competition because nearly all stars are taking part. The arrangements have been great,” she added.
Meanwhile, nearly all the participating gymnasts including the hosts underwent extensive training sessions throughout the day yesterday to prepare for the event.
The event will begin with the qualifications for the apparatus finals for men and women gymnasts today.
