Al Kalbani shines as beach volleyball falls

Muscat, Sept 21
Oman’s campaign at the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 continued on Monday, as the beach volleyball team suffered an opening defeat while shooter Khalid al Kalbani produced a strong showing in the men’s 10m Air Rifle qualification.
Oman B, comprising Ahmed al Hosni and Khalfan al Maamari, went down 2-0 to Thailand at the Hekinan Ryokuchi Beach Court. Thailand controlled the Group B encounter to win 21-11, 21-12.
Al Hosni said the pair had expected a demanding start against an experienced Thai side, adding that their attention had already turned to the next match against Iran.
“Every match has its own circumstances. This defeat is behind us and we will continue working hard for the next challenge,” he said.
Al Maamari described the encounter as an important learning experience in the pair’s first official competition together. He said the team would analyse its errors and seek a stronger performance in the remaining group matches.

Oman B will face Iran on September 23 and Timor-Leste on September 26. Oman A, represented by Mazin al Hashmi and Hood al Jalboubi, begin their group fixtures against the Philippines and Qatar on September 24 and 27 respectively.
In shooting, al Kalbani narrowly missed out on a place in the final after finishing 13th among 47 competitors in the men’s 10m Air Rifle qualification at the Aichi Prefectural General Shooting Range. He scored 627.8 points.
China’s Sheng Lihao topped the qualification standings with 635.4 points, followed by compatriot Ma Sihan on 633.0. India’s Rudrankksh Patil placed third with 631.8.
Hamed al Khatri finished 41st with 612.5 points. Al Kalbani returns on Tuesday for the 10m Air Rifle Mixed Team event, while Naghmush al Hattali begins his three-day skeet competition.
Oman’s fencing team will also begin its Asian Games challenge on Tuesday, with the opening contests scheduled for 5 am Muscat time.
The national hockey team face a difficult Group B test against Malaysia at the Gifu Green Stadium at 10 am Muscat time. Oman lost their opener 2-0 to China, while Malaysia began with a 7-0 win over Uzbekistan.
Meanwhile, Oman’s athletics team arrives in Nagoya on Tuesday with 11 athletes competing across several disciplines. The squad will aim to build on Oman’s athletics success at the previous Asian Games, where Hussein al Farsi claimed bronze in the men’s 800m.