Multi-talented Al Attiyah aiming to be on the mark at Rio

Denzil Pinto 09:30 04/08/2016
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  • Nasser Al Attiyah.

    It’s not every day you hear of athletes who regularly compete at the highest level in two different sports but Nasser Al Attiyah has shown anything is possible.

    The Qatari boasts an impressive CV of motorsport feats including 11 Middle East Rally Championships and two Dakar Rally titles but it’s his men’s skeet Olympic bronze medal from the 2012 Games in London which has a special place in his heart.

    It’s easy to see why. The 45-year-old suffered 16 years of disappointment since Atlanta 1996 but on his fifth attempt, he held his nerve to defeat Russia’s Valeriy Shomin in the third/fourth place play-off.

    “Yes of course the Olympic bronze is the best,” Al Attiyah told Sport360 ahead of his departure to Brazil.

    “This is definitely the best achievement for me out of all the titles that I’ve won. To win bronze in the Olympic Games is not easy and not many people can do it.”

    Four years on from that historic moment, Al Attiyah will again swap the wheel for the shotgun when the Skeet category gets under way on August 12. But this time, he has set his sights even higher in Rio.

    “The dream is to win the first gold for my country,” he said. “I just want to be competitive and I know it will not be easy. All the best shooters will be there and you have to be at your best but I will certainly give it my best shot.”

    While his rivals have had the advantage of solely focusing on the showpiece event, Al Attiyah has had to combine his rallying and shooting duties.

    Since the start of the Olympic year, the Qatari has competed in the Dakar Rally, the on-going Middle East Rally Championship and FIA Cross Country Rally World Cup. And as the Games edged closer, Al Attiyah showed no signs of stepping off the gas by claiming back-to-back victories in the Italia Baja and Baja Aragon respectively within the last five weeks.

    Although, he undertook a training camp in Italy in June, he insists the rallying experience will make him even stronger in Brazil.

    “In terms of physical and mentality, it has helped me a lot. It helps you remain focused at all times, while it can also give you a lot of confidence,” he said.

    “Just because I was rallying before the Olympics, doesn’t mean it will have an effect. It’s good for my mind to stay refreshed. I have already spent a month in Italy preparing for the Games and I feel I’m in the right frame.”

    He will be among a number of athletes from the Middle East and although he will be representing Qatar, he hopes the rest of the reg-ion can showcase their potential.

    “It’s important that we go out there and do the Arab countries proud,” he said. “It’s the Olympic Games and I hope we can have a strong showing. I want to show anything is possible and inspire the next generation that they can also compete in the Olympic Games.”

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