Qatari gymnast Jana ElKiky
DOHA: Qatar’s only female gymnast at the 48th edition of Artistic Gymnastics World Championships Doha 2018, Jana Elkiky is hopeful of showing an impressive performance as star-studded women’s qualification round begins today at Aspire Dome.
Elkiky will take part in qualification for Floor Exercise, Beam and Pommel Horse events which will feature several stars including quadruple Olympic champion Simone Biles.
The young Qatari gymnast said she was excited about her participation alongside the superstars of the sport.
“I am very excited and ready for the event,” Elkiky said ahead of her qualification.
“I’ve been preparing for this event since a long time and also travelled for training abroad. I am looking to give an improved performance than my previous competitions,” she said.
“I am hoping a lot of support from home fans which I expect will help me.”
Qatar’s Ahmed Al Dayani in action during the qualifying round
Meanwhile, Qatari duo of Ahmed Al Dayani and Ahmed Nabil were satisfied with their overall performance at Doha Worlds.
The two Qatari gymnasts were seen in action on Thursday night – the opening day of the 10-day competition, on which they took part in qualification round for all the six events.
Seasoned Al Dayani posted a score of 72.632 while Nabil scored 59.966 in Men’s All-Around qualification which saw several big names in action. The duo failed to qualify for the finals.
Al Dayani said though he has to bring a lot of improvement, he was satisfied with his overall performance.
“This was my seventh World Championships, and I did better this time,” said the Qatari gymnast while speaking to reporters at Aspire Dome yesterday.
“It was a tough competition as it’s never easy to compete against the best athletes of the world. I did mistakes which I need to rectify but overall I am satisfied,” he said.
Qatar’s Ahmed Nabil competing in men’s parallel bars qualification round yesterday.
He said it was after three years that he participated in all the six apparatus.
“It was in Glasgow three years ago. As I compared to that event I did fairly well in Doha. All my family members and friends were here, which boosted my morale.
“This experience will play a crucial role in my future plans,” he added.
Nabil said he enjoyed his experience of performing in front of home fans.
“Yes, there was a bit of pressure but I enjoyed performing in that situation. This points tally is not what I expected because I did a few mistakes. This was my second World Championships and if I compare my performance with my last experience, I did well and I am happy with my overall points,” he said.
Nabil praised Al Dayani for his support in preparation for the event.
“It was an honour to prepare alongside Ahmed Al Dayani. He was very supportive throughout our preparations,” he said.
