13-year-old 2.10m ‘prodigy’ Mubarak scores 12 points on Asian Championship debut, Qatar still falls to Thailand

FUKUOKA – When the referee blew the whistle to end the third set at 25-14 for Thailand, Qatar stood still. They had just left the Asian Men’s Volleyball Championship with a 0-3 loss, yet the most talked-about name was on the losing side. Mubarak Musa Thiik Madut, a 2.10m opposite aged 13, scored 12 points in his first senior international match. The most striking detail was not his total but the breakdown: 5 kill blocks, 2 aces and 5 kills. A young opposite usually scores mostly from attacks, but Mubarak showed remarkable reading ability at the net for a 13-year-old. Thailand won 25-22, 25-19, 25-14. Napadet Bhinijdee led with 14 points, Chaiwat Thungkham added 13 and Thanat Bamrungphakdi contributed 10. Thailand adjusted better as the match progressed, while Qatar lacked a reliable third scoring option. Yousef Alyafeai supported Qatar with 10 points. Australia also cruised past Bahrain in straight sets. Lorenzo Pope chipped in 19 points with 4 aces, Nehemiah Mote impressed with 75% attack efficiency and 5 kill blocks, and Lincoln Alexander Williams scored 10. China beat India 3-0, but the sets were tight: 25-21, 28-26 and 27-25. Wang Bin scored 16 for China, level with Chirag Yadav of India. Zhang Jingyin added 12. The tournament in Fukuoka serves as a direct qualifier for the LA 2028 Olympics and the 2027 World Cup, so every set matters. Qatar now face a difficult road after their straight-set defeat. Next up for Qatar is Chinese Taipei, while Iran meet India and Japan face Bahrain.