UAE’s third and final shooter participating in London, Dhaher Al Aryani, kicks off his campaign in trap shooting today at the Royal Artillery Barracks among 34 of the world’s best.
The 39-year-old from Ras Al Khaimah has been drawn in Squad 4, one of the strongest of the field, which includes Russia’s Alexey Alipov, who won the gold in Athens 2004 and the bronze in Beijing 2008 and two-time Olympic gold medallist Michael Diamond of Australia.
Al Aryani will also face some stiff competition from his Arab rivals in the form of Kuwaitis Talal Al Rashidi and Fehaid Aldeehani, who lost a heart-breaking shoot-off for the Double Trap bronze a few days ago, Qatar’s Rashid Al Athba and Egypt’s Ahmed Zaher, the African champion.
Al Rashidi, 19, is the reigning Junior World Champion, and is following in the footsteps of his father Abdullah, who is a three-time world champion in shooting and competed in the skeet competition in London earlier this week.
Al Aryani, who came fourth in the Asian Shooting Championships in Doha last January, is making his Olympic debut and will be hoping to rank amongst the top six in order to move on to the final.
Egypt’s 22-year-old Zaher, also an Olympic debutant, is hoping for a medal-winning performance and he said: “I’m expecting to make the final and really hoping for a medal.
“This is also an important step towards Rio 2016 because I’ll have had more experience.”
The Arab world has already earned a medal this Olympics in shooting as Qatar’s Nasser Al Attiyah won the bronze in skeet earlier in London.
The UAE is yet to win an Olympic medal in shooting since Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Hasher triumphed with the gold in double trap in Athens eight years ago.
It remains the country’s sole Olympic medal to date.
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