Sport
Afghan para-swimming sensation scoops gold for first time as American citizen
Abbas Karami who was recently granted US citizenship after leaving Afghanistan in 2016, scooped his first gold as an American citizen in the men’s 50-meter butterfly S1-S7 in the Indianapolis 2022 Para Swimming World Series on Friday.
Karami has in the past few years competed as a member of the Refugee Paralympic Team including the Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020.
However, the world series is the major event that he has attended as part of Team USA.
“It’s an honor for me to become an American citizen and winning a gold medal for the first time as a citizen is very exciting,” said Karimi.
“I’m very thankful for all the people that have been helping and supporting me. It’s just unbelievable, I’m still in disbelief after nine and a half years, I finally got my citizenship and I’m just living my dream and so excited for what’s next for me.”
Karimi will next look to qualify as a member of the US for the upcoming Madeira 2022 Para Swimming World Championships in Portugal as selection will occur from this event based on athletes’ three-day performances.
Afghan para-swimming sensation scoops gold for first time as American citizen
Abbas Kasami who was recently granted US citizenship after leaving Afghanistan in 2016, scooped his first gold as an American citizen in the men’s 50-meter butterfly S1-S7 in the Indianapolis 2022 Para Swimming World Series on Friday.
Karami has in the past few years competed as a member of the Refugee Paralympic Team including the Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020.
However, the world series is the major event that he has attended as part of Team USA.
“It’s an honor for me to become an American citizen and winning a gold medal for the first time as a citizen is very exciting,” said Karimi.
“I’m very thankful for all the people that have been helping and supporting me. It’s just unbelievable, I’m still in disbelief after nine and a half years, I finally got my citizenship and I’m just living my dream and so excited for what’s next for me.”
Karimi will next look to qualify as a member of the US for the upcoming Madeira 2022 Para Swimming World Championships in Portugal as selection will occur from this event based on athletes’ three-day performances.
Sport
Underdogs Afghanistan qualify for Futsal World Cup
Competing in their first AFC Futsal Asian Cup, Afghanistan have concluded a fairy tale tournament by edging the Kyrgyz Republic to reach the FIFA Futsal World Cup.
Four second-half goals guided Afghanistan to a 5-3 win and the final 24-strong field for Uzbekistan 2024 is now set.
Unknown at continental level at the start of the month, Afghanistan have scripted one of the great futsal fairy tales by reaching the global showpiece for the very first time.
After raising eyebrows by pushing powerhouse Iran in their opening match and then progressing from the group, the Afghans were involved in a triple Central Asian tangle that ultimately saw them reach the FIFA Futsal World Cup.
Defeat at the hands of Tajikistan in the first of the quarter-finals looked to have marked the end for the daring debutantes only for World Cup hosts Uzbekistan to see off Vietnam in the last of the final eight match-ups to necessitate a play-off to determine the final slot at the sport’s showpiece event.
A 5-3 win against Iraq in the first round of the play-offs set up this winner-takes-all affair with a Kyrgyz Republic outfit also eyeing a maiden World Cup berth.
Settling the better of the two teams, it was a ninth-minute Omid Qanbari effort that sent Afghanistan to the break with a narrow lead; one that they would double nine minutes after the restart as an own goal from Mukhamed Askarbekov made it 2-0.
A frantic ten-minute period then produced six goals but with the Kyrgyz Republic always chasing the match, the Afghans never looked too troubled, with two late, long-range, goals from captain Mahdi Norowzi and Mehran Gholami capping off the impressive 5-3 win.
The FIFA Futsal World Cup is an international futsal competition contested by the senior men’s national teams of the member associations of FIFA, the sport’s global governing body.
Since the first edition that took place in 1989 in the Netherlands, the tournament has been held every four years since 1992.
The current champions are Portugal, who won their first world title after beating the 2016 defending champions Argentina in the final of the 2021 tournament in Lithuania.
Sport
Afghanistan qualify for FIFA Futsal World Cup for first time ever
Afghanistan qualified for the 2024 Futsal World Cup after 5-3 victory against Kyrgyzstan in the Playoff 3 of AFC Futsal Asian Cup in Bangkok on Sunday.
This is the first time that Afghanistan qualifies for the Futsal World Cup.
The tenth edition of Futsal World Cup is scheduled to start on September 14, 2024 in Uzbekistan.
Twenty-four teams will participate in the tournament.
Afghanistan, France, New Zealand and Tajikistan will make their debuts.
Sport
ACL: Mawj Sahil 2-1 Sarsabz Yashlar; Sorkh Poshan 6-0 Maiwand
Mawj Sahil defeated Sarsabz Yashlar 2-1 in the 15th match of Afghanistan Champions League in Kabul on Saturday, while Sorkh Poshan hammered Maiwand 6-0 in the 16th match of the tournament on the same day.
Sanan Rahimi and Esmatullah Hadafmand scored the two goals for Mawj Sahil.
Yashlar’s only goal was scored by Mohammad Nasir Niazi.
Sorkh Poshan’s six goals against Maiwand were scored by Habibullah Hotak (1), Samir Mirzai (1), Hamir Amiri (1), Omid Rajabi (2) and captain Farhad Alizada (1).
Sunday’s matches will see Istiqlal Kabul take on Adalat Farah at 1:00 PM, and Khadim face Jawanan Wahedi at 3:30 PM.
The matches are broadcast live on Ariana Television.
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