MUSCAT : Oman’s national table tennis teams impressed in their participation at the West Asia Table Tennis Championships in Jordan with an impressive haul of three medals, following seven days of intense competition featuring national teams from across the West Asian region. Oman’s young players delivered a series of strong performances, securing one silver and two bronze medals across the team and doubles events.

Oman’s Ahmed al Rawahi and Iyad al Jasasi claimed the silver medal in the Boys’ U19 Doubles after reaching the final with a strong run through the knockout stages. The Omani pair defeated Qatar’s Taqi Al Din Najadat and Jad al Baisani 3-2 in a closely contested semi-final to book their place in the title decider. In the final, Al Rawahi and al Jasasi put up another determined performance but narrowly lost 3-2 to Qatar’s Ahmed Qarni and Rawad Al Nasser, finishing runners-up and taking the silver medal.

In the Girls’ U13 Team event, Oman’s Talia al Rawahi, Salma al Nasri and Fatma al Balushi secured the bronze medal after a competitive campaign. The Omani team defeated Qatar 3-1, while they suffered narrow defeats against Jordan 3-2 and Bahrain 3-1, before losing 3-0 to Kuwait. Bahrain claimed the gold medal, with Kuwait taking silver and Qatar finishing fourth.

Oman added another bronze medal through Salma al Nasri and Talia al Rawahi in the Girls’ U13 Doubles. The young Omani pair reached the semi-finals after a series of good performances but saw their campaign end with a 3-1 defeat to Qatar’s Kinda Mahmoud and Hessa. Their run secured another bronze medal for Oman and underlined the promising talent emerging in the national youth programme.

Oman national team coach Omid Shams Shahrbabaki praised the players for their performances. “The medal haul reflected the continued development of Omani table tennis.

These achievements reflect the progress made by our players, both boys and girls. We were hoping to win more medals, but some of our players suffered defeats in several closely fought matches,” Shahrbabaki said.

He added that competing in the West Asia Championships provided valuable international exposure and experience for the young players, while giving the coaching staff an opportunity to identify areas for further improvement ahead of upcoming competitions.