Sheikh Saeed bin Maktoum Al Maktoum will both literally and figuratively fly the UAE flag in the Olympics.
The 35-year-old shooter, who has been given the honour of carrying the Emirati flag in the opening ceremony on Friday, will be competing in his fourth edition of the Games in the skeet competition.
And he is looking to bring home the country’s second gold medal in shooting after Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Hasher Al Maktoum triumphed in double trap in Athens 2004.
Sheikh Saeed’s passion for sport is limitless and his palace is adorned with his many trophies. Besides his exploits in shooting, he is the chairman of Al Shabab football club, has owned several racehorses, including the undefeated thoroughbred Lammtarra.
His preparation for the Games has seen him win the gold medal in the ISSF World Cup Finals in Al Ain and also in the Arab Games in Doha last year.
Back in February when he was doing at least two hours of shooting daily at the Jebel Ali Shooting Club before dusk, he explained how every detail counts when it comes to skeet shooting.
He said he wore the exact same type of shirt during practice and competition so the thickness of what he’s wearing does not change when he rests his rifle on it.
Sheikh Saeed is joined in London by two other Emirati shooters – Sheikh Juma bin Dalmook Al Maktoum and Dhaher Al Aryani.
Sheikh Juma, 27, is competing in double trap and is accompanied by coach Rafael Mukhamediarov and Sheikh Ahmed, who is also the young shooter’s coach and mentor, who believes a top-six finish would be a successful showing.
“I noticed that Sheikh Juma gets quite nervous and angry right before competition, which I personally see as a good omen,” Sheikh Ahmed told Sport360°. “I’ve never won a tournament where I wasn’t feeling like my feet couldn’t carry me right before it. Nerves are essential in sport.”
Sheikh Juma added: “I hope I can record results that reflect the huge effort I’ve put in my preparation that started last January.”
On concerns about visibility at the shooting range he added: “The conditions will be the same for all the shooters whether the visibility is poor or not. I believe the competition will be very fierce between the Arab shooters and the Brits and it’s going to be very hard to predict a winner.”
Al Aryani, 39, from Ras Al Khaimah, will show his craft in the trap competition in his first Games.
PROFILES
Name: Sheikh Saeed bin Maktoum Al Maktoum
Date of Birth: 01/10/1976
Place of Birth: Dubai
Biggest achievement: 9th in Sydney 2000 Olympics, Gold at the World Cup Finals Al Ain 2011, Gold at Asian Shooting Championships Deli 2003
Name: Dhaher Al Aryani
Date of Birth: 11/12/1972
Place of Birth: Ras Al Khaimah
Biggest achievement: 4th place finish at the 2012 Asian Shooting Championships in Doha
Name: Sheikh Juma bin Dalmook Al Maktoum
Date of Birth: 23/12/1984
Place of Birth: Dubai
Biggest achievement: Gold in the 2012 Asian Shooting Championships in Doha, Silver in the Asian Games in Guangzhou 2010
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