Sulaibikhat defeats Qadsia in overtime, boosts semifinal hopes
KUWAIT CITY, March 29: The Sulaibikhat basketball team secured a thrilling 101-97 overtime victory against Qadsia in the 16th round of the Second Division of the Basketball League (Merged) match at the Basketball Federation Hall in Sheikh Saad Al-Abdullah Complex, ended in an 89-89 tie before Sulaibikhat—nicknamed the "Reds of the North"—clinched the win, strengthening its bid for fourth place and a spot in the championship semifinals.
With this victory, Sulaibikhat moved up to 21 points, ranking fifth, while Qadsia remains in fourth place with 22 points and a postponed match against Kazma.
Sulaibikhat has shown impressive form, having previously shocked Kazma with an 85-75 victory in the league's opening round.
Earlier, Kuwait Club dominated Al-Qurain C with a 92-73 win, maintaining its lead with 25 points, while Al-Qurain follows closely in third place with 23 points. The match also marked the return of international player Mohammed Adnan, who made his comeback after a wrist injury that had sidelined him for months.
Sulaibikhat's head coach, Fahad Barjas, capitalized on Qadsia's instability following its mid-March loss to Al-Qurain and its Asian Super League semifinal exit against Saudi Arabia's Al-Ittihad. The Yellows were hit hard by the resignation of their American coach, Anthony Ziping, last weekend, alongside the absence of key players—Chinemelo Elono (suspension) and Cedric Henry (injury).
With the playoff race heating up, Sulaibikhat will aim to maintain its momentum, while Qadsia looks to recover before its postponed clash with Kazma.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Kuwait Times
9 hours ago
- Kuwait Times
‘The sea rejuvenates you': Cuban seniors defy aging by diving in
It's never too late to make a splash, as Orestes Quintana, one of the doyens of the Juventud Acumulada (Forever Young) swimming club in Cuba's capital Havana discovered. The 87-year-old former revolutionary, who helped Fidel Castro fight his way to victory over a dictatorship in 1959, took up swimming relatively late in life, in his sixties. Before that, 'I knew how to float, I used to bob about in the water like everyone else but I didn't know the different strokes,' the silver-haired ex-soldier said. Now, he spends a full two hours a day cleaving through the aquamarine waters of the Caribbean and has a bunch of amateur swimming titles to his name. 'I have almost no challengers. In my age category, very few people know how to swim,' he confided with a smile. Lazaro Diaz, 75, was also a pensioner when he learned to swim as a panacea for a weak heart and recurring back pain. Cuban former revolutionary Orestes Quintana, 87, a member of the Juventud Acumulada swimming club, exercises before swimming in Havana.--AFP photos Members of the Juventud Acumulada swimming club jump into the water in Havana. A man, member of the Juventud Acumulada swimming club, swims in Havana. Fernando Paneque, 84, a member of the Juventud Acumulada swimming club, takes a shower after swimming in Havana. A close-up view of a dolphin tattoo in the arm of a member of the Juventud Acumulada swimming club in Havana. Cuban pensioner Lazaro Diaz, 75, a member of the Juventud Acumulada swimming club, swims in Havana. 'I was starting to feel the effects of aging,' said Diaz, who undertakes a six-kilometer (3.7-mile) round trip from home every day to get in his vivifying 400-meter (1,300-foot) swim. 'In the water I don't feel (any pain),' he added. Juventud Acumulada operates out of one of a string of leisure centers built for the Cuban elite along the coast west of Havana between the 1930s and 1950s. The centers were later nationalized by Castro's communist government and transformed into 'workers' social circles' or CSOs. The glamor of the Otto Parellada CSO -- named after a young rebel killed fighting the Fulgencio Batista dictatorship -- has long since been eroded by the elements and successive economic crises. The pale green paint on the club house is peeling. And the ladder that once led from the pier to the water was swept away by a hurricane, meaning swimmers now have to negotiate a slippery sea wall. But the bronzed elder statesmen and -women of swimming remain undaunted. Juventud Acumulada was founded by a local amateur swimming champion, Ramon Cordoves, who honed his technique by reading tips from legendary Romanian-born American Olympian and actor Johnny Weissmuller, of 'Tarzan' fame. The club is now open to swimmers of all ages but is most closely associated with its old-timers, who fly its colors at competitions across the island. Its oldest member, Maria Antonia Cendoya, recently took gold in a 50-meter race at the tender age of 88. At a time when Europeans are going crazy for wild swimming in lakes, lochs and oceans, Quintana summed up the benefits of a dip in the sea: 'The sea rejuvenates you, gives you energy, makes you happy and relieves stress. The sea is wonderful.'—AFP
Arab Times
01-06-2025
- Arab Times
Kazma appoints Croatian Tadić as new head coach
KUWAIT CITY, June 1: Kazma announced the appointment of Croatian coach Dragan Tadić as the new head coach of the first football team, replacing Bosnian manager Rosmir Cefko. Although the club had initially hoped to retain Cefko for the upcoming season, the Bosnian coach received several offers from Gulf clubs and paused contract renewal talks. He later departed for vacation in his home country and ultimately declined to continue with Kazma. Born in 1973, Tadić brings a wealth of experience and a proven track record. Most recently, he led Bahraini side Sitra to a strong season, securing third place in the league, reaching the final of the King's Cup (finishing as runners-up), and qualifying for the 2025 Gulf Champions League. Tadić's playing career included stints with Croatian clubs Rijeka, Novalja, Sibenik, Sesveta, and Astra before transitioning to coaching in 2011. He began his managerial journey with Croatian side Rijeka, followed by roles at Kavala and Slaven Belupo, with multiple returns to Rijeka over the years. He also had international coaching spells with Losinj (Austria) and Mesaimeer (Qatar), and most recently managed Al-Bukayriyah in Saudi Arabia. Kazma's decision to appoint Tadić comes amid a rebuilding phase following a challenging season, which saw the team exit early from local competitions and narrowly avoid relegation through the Zain Premier League playoffs, where they finished fourth. In terms of player contracts, the club has chosen to renew the deals of Jordanian winger Anas Al-Awadat and Beninese forward Samson Akiniola. They have also added two new players to the squad: Jordanian midfielder Ali Al-Azaizeh and Youssef Abu Al-Jazar. Negotiations are currently ongoing to sign an Algerian defender, which would complete the club's quota of foreign players.
Kuwait Times
01-06-2025
- Kuwait Times
Sinner, Zverev into French Open last 16
Pegula and Andreeva advance to fourth round PARIS: World number one Jannik Sinner powered into the French Open last 16 on Saturday alongside last year's runner-up Alexander Zverev as American Jessica Pegula and Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva ensured their campaigns continue into week two. Italian Sinner eased through 6-0, 6-1, 6-2 against outclassed world number 34 Jiri Lehecka hours before the kick-off between Inter Milan and Paris Saint-Germain for European club football's biggest prize. 'It was a very great match from my side,' said the top-seeded Italian. 'I think the start of each set, with early break he gave me, then the confidence to keep going, and I'm very happy about today's match. I don't think there's much I could improve.' Three-time Grand Slam winner Sinner next meets Russia's Andrey Rublev, the beneficiary of a walkover to the fourth round after France's Arthur Fils withdrew injured on Friday. 'Andrey is an incredible player,' said Sinner. 'I have to be focused. He's rested. So let's see what's coming.' Sinner has been finding his feet since his comeback from a three-month doping ban, reaching the Italian Open final where he lost to reigning Roland Garros champion Carlos Alcaraz. And the 23-year-old has continued his fine form on the clay of Roland Garros where he has not dropped a set, extending his winning streak at Grand Slam events to 17 matches after titles at the 2024 US Open and Australian Open this January. British fifth Jack Draper proved too strong for Brazilian teenage sensation Joao Fonseca, winning 6-2, 6-4, 6-2 to progress through to the fourth round, where he will meet Alexander Bublik. Zverev looking for 'happy end' German third seed Zverev, who lost last year's final to Alcaraz, won 6-2, 7-6 (7/4), 6-1 on Court Philippe Chatrier against Hamburg champion Flavio Cobolli. 'This court is very special to me. I had some of the best memories of my life on this court, but I also had some of the worst memories on this court,' said Zverev, who picked up a bad ankle injury in the 2022 semi-finals against Rafael Nadal. 'It's a love story that hasn't got to the happy end yet, but I hope someday it will.' In the women's tournament, American third seed Jessica Pegula battled into the last 16 with a 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 win over Czech Marketa Vondrousova. Pegula, last year's US Open runner-up, next meets unheralded Lois Boisson, ranked 361, the last French player competing in Roland Garros. Boisson fought through the pain to see off 138th-ranked countrywoman Elsa Jacquemot 6-3, 0-6, 7-5. 'Obviously.. going to have some crazy support,' said Pegula. 'I think it will be fun. It will be cool to be a part of that.' The 31-year-old, who missed the 2024 tournament due to injury, is hoping to better her previous best run in Paris which was a quarter-final appearance three years ago. Andreeva feeling 'better and better' Earlier, 18-year-old Andreeva eased into the last 16 with a 6-3, 6-1 win over Kazakh Yulia Putintseva. Sixth seed Andreeva took 78 minutes to dispatch Putinstseva to set up a showdown with Daria Kasatkina, ranked 17. Kasatkina, now playing for Australia after switching allegiance from her native Russia, got past Spanish 10th seed Paula Badosa 6-1, 7-5 in their third round match. Andreeva is competing in just her ninth Grand Slam event, but the teenager has now reached the second week in five of them. After a closely-contested first set, Andreeva took control winning nine of the last 10 games of the match. 'I felt a little nervous before the match, but overall, throughout I felt like I could do whatever I want on the court,' said Andreeva. 'Like, you know, I felt free. I'm happy that with every match I play, I feel better and better. I think that this is a good thing.' — AFP
