The hosts of the 24th Men’s Handball World Championship, Qatar, wrote a new chapter in handball history by reaching the semi-final stage in Doha. However, the first-ever Asian team to go this far in a world championship aren’t satisfied yet.
One of Qatar’s vital players, playmaker Kamalaldin Mallash believes that they still have a lot of energy for their semi-final clash against Poland today.
Q: How do you feel after this amazing achievement?
A: The past few days have been like a dream. We aren’t ready to wake up just yet, at least not before Monday.
We have prepared hard for this tournament. We spent the last six months practicing together all the time. Now, we are in the semi-final of the World Championship. I hope that we won’t stop here. The match against Germany showed our top form.
Q: Did you expect to go so far at Qatar 2015?
A: Actually, almost all the teams are on the same level. The situation in world handball isn’t what it used to be in the past, when you had only 5-6 dominant teams who could fight for medals.
Q: It looks like you are playing without pressure. That wasn’t the case at the start of the tournament when you played against Brazil, right?
A: Yes, we had problem in the opening match. The start was stressful but it got easier and easier with every match.
Now, we are flying and feel like nothing can stop us. The team spirit is fantastic. We have become really close friends.
Q: How do you see your semi-final opponents — Poland?
A: To be honest, I don’t know too much about them. But I am sure that our coach will prepare everything we need to know. We are in good shape and also
playing in front of home crowd,
so my only aim is to win that match.
Q: What do you think of Valero Rivera as a coach?
A: He is like a father for us. Valero is very proud of everything we have achieved in previous years.
Q: Who is the favourite for the gold on Sunday?
A: France and Spain are the best teams in the world. Of course, we are also dreaming about it. Inshallah. THE PENINSULA
