The Iranian youth Volleyball team claimed the Youth Asian Volleyball championship which concluded last weekend at the Sugathadasa indoor stadium, Colombo.
The team from the Middle East which had a dream stay in Sri Lanka faced Japan in the finals last Saturday. Japan too had a decent tournament and the finals seemed to be one with much excitement.
The turn up was decent taking given the fact that the locals team’s match was played in the afternoon the same day. Iran opened the account of the match which throughout looked out of reach for the Japanese.
The first set was a not the most entertaining for the Japanese as the Iranian boys pelted them left right and center of the court. The Japanese were caught ambling baffled and trying to gain position in the game which they seemed lost from the start. The first set didn’t last long as the tall Iranian boys brought a quick close to the set ending it 25 points to 11.
Things didn’t get any better for the Japanese team as Iran kept on pushing them against the wall. The Japanese however fought back well eventually after a some powerful advice from the coaching staff who seemed to out sense to the team. The Iranian team looked formidable and difficult to deal with, but the Japanese did very well in the second set to contain the boys from the east. They put up a very good fight but, went down just 3 points short. The second set ended 25 points to 22 in favor of Iran.
The game was out of reach now, the Japanese had not much to do but these young men showed a true spirit of sports as even though it was clear to all present that this team was fighting a losing battle, they never gave but went down fighting. The third set was an amazing set of volleyball where the Iranians had to fight hard for every point scored eventually winning the set 25 -23 and winning the game 3 -0 which subsequently won them the Champions title at the Youth Asian volleyball championship.
The tournament which was held during last week showcased some quality volleyball and evidently would go a long way in the development of the country’s national sport. With international players playing alongside them and against them it is a priceless opportunity for the Sri Lankan players to gauge where they stand in the international arena and to gain exposure while taking tips and learning from a handful of the world’s most strongest youth volleyball players.
Following are the final standings of the 10th Asian Youth Boys Volleyball Championship Colombo 2014.
1.Iran
2.Japan
3.China
4.Chinese Taipei
5.Sri Lanka
6.Korea
7.India
8.Australia
9.Kazakhstan
10.Bahrain
11.Saudi Arabia
12.Turkmenistan
13.Hong Kong
14.Maldives
15.Qatar
