2024-07-30 21:08:33
The U23 national team made short work of its Iraqi counterpart (3-0), during the third day of group B, to reach the second round for the first time since the 1972 edition.
In seven participations in the Olympic Games, only the Munich-1972 edition saw Morocco qualify for the second round, unlike the 1964, 1984, 1992, 2000, 2004 and 2012 editions.
The goals of the Atlas Lions were scored by Amir Richardson (19th), SoUfiane Rahimi (28th) and Abdessamad Ezzalzouli (36th).
Thanks to this victory, the Moroccan team finished at the top of Group B with 6 points, ahead of Argentina on goal average, which beat Ukraine by 2 goals to 0.
In the quarter-finals, scheduled for next Friday, Morocco will face the United States team which finished in second place (6 pts) in group A behind France (1st/9 pts).
For her part, boxer Widad Bertal qualified for the quarter-finals of the -54 kg category, after her victory in the round of 16 against Thai Jutamas Jitpong by decision of the judges (3-2).
For a place in the semi-finals, Bertal will face North Korean Cholmi Pang next Thursday.
The good performances of the Moroccan athletes on Tuesday did not stop there, since Mathis Soudi ensured his qualification for the semi-final of the kayak slalom event (men’s K-1 slalom).
The Moroccan kayaker ranked 16th after the two qualifying rounds, with a time of 89.45. The top 20 in the ranking reached the semi-finals. He will compete in the K-1 slalom semi-final on Thursday, August 1.
In sport shooting, his compatriot Driss Haffari came very close to reaching the final, finishing in 10th place among the 30 shooters taking part in the qualifications.
Haffari, who was eliminated in the repechage round, was unable to secure a top-six spot in qualifying to advance to the final.
In beach volleyball, the Moroccan team, composed of the duo Mohamed Abicha and Zouheir El Graoui, lost to the American pair comprising Miles Partain and Andrew Benesh by 2 sets to 0, during the second day of group D.
The Moroccans were beaten in the first set 21 to 12, while they showed fierce resistance in the second set which they lost 26 to 28.
Abicha/El Graoui had lost their first match against the Brazilian tandem George Souto Maior and Andre Loyola in two sets (18-21, 10-21).
They will face the Cuban team on August 1st during the third day of group D.
In judo, Achraf Moutii, the last Moroccan still in the running in this discipline, was eliminated by the Korean Lee Joonhwan by waza-ari in the 16th finals of the -81 kg category.
For his part, Moroccan triathlete Jawad Abdelmoula was unable to start the men’s triathlon event, scheduled for Tuesday morning, postponed for “health reasons” due to the Seine still being too polluted, according to the organizers.
The heavy rains that fell last Friday and Saturday in Paris have degraded the quality of the water, the latest analyses of which show “in certain places of the swimming course” values ”still higher than acceptable limits”, indicated Tuesday morning the international body World Triathlon and the organizing committee in a joint press release.
2024-07-30 21:08:33