Qatar didn’t have the most impressive performance at this year’s Asian Volleyball Championship, losing all three games in its group stage against Thailand, Taipei, and South Korea, but it did stand out thanks to one of the most prolific scorers of the tournament – 13-year-old Mubarak Musa Thiik Madut, who scored 40 points in the three matches, more than any of his teammates.
Mubarak is not your typical 13-year-old boy. He is already 2.10 meters tall (6ft 11in), which makes him the tallest player on the Qatari volleyball team, but he also plays like a pro with many years of experience under his belt. In fact, he plays so well that many doubt he is only thirteen.
On his official player page, it says that Mubarak Musa Thiik Madut was born on November 24, 2012, in South Sudan, and was later naturalized by Qatar, which allowed him to compete for the Middle-Eastern country in official competitions.
In addition to playing for the Qatari national volleyball team, Mubarak has already won a bronze medal at the Asian U18 Beach Volleyball Championship, which only made his listed age that much harder to believe.
Being over two meters tall at such a young age is not unheard of, but what many sports experts have pointed out is Mubarak Musa Thiik Madut movement on the court and his obvious knowledge of the game. Most young teenagers move awkwardly, but Mubarak looks like he’s been playing for his entire life.
Some have speculated that, being born in Africa, where births frequently go unreported, Mubarak was probably just given a birth date at some point and everyone just went with it. However, this is just speculation, and Qatar’s Volleyball Federation has yet to comment on it.
