Al Kaabi set for double trap challenge in Rio

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  • Khaled Al Kaabi.

    Khaled Al Kaabi on Tuesday begins his quest for a second shooting medal in UAE Olympic history as he takes on the world’s best in the double trap action at the Rio Games.

    Coached by Emirati Olympic gold medallist Sheikh Ahmed bin Hasher Al Maktoum, Al Kaabi hopes to emulate his mentor, just three years after picking up the sport.

    The 31-year-old from Al Ain surprised himself when he qualified for Rio by taking gold at the Asian Olympic Qualifying competition in New Delhi earlier this year and admits he is feeling some pressure on his Games debut.

    “Yes I feel pressure because I feel that everyone in my country is waiting to hear good news about me, so I have to do my best,” Al Kaabi told Sport360 ahead of his campaign kick-off.

    While the UAE may be pinning its hopes on Al Kaabi, he is choosing not to put a high level of expectation on himself as he concedes he remains a newbie in the sport.

    “For now I really don’t expect anything, because my plan was to qualify to the next Olympic Games, Tokyo 2020, and suddenly I see myself getting ahead of schedule,” he explains.

    Asked how he initially got into shooting, Al Kaabi said: “Shooting and hunting have been hobbies of mine since I was a kid, and when I heard about a new shooting club opening up in Al Ain, I started to shoot there. Then I worked hard and I have practiced a lot to be on the UAE team.

    “I love the big challenge a sport like shooting brings. I also like that you meet great people in this field, and I feel that I have managed to make a profession out of my hobby.”

    Double trap qualification commences at 16:00 UAE time where Al Kaabi joins a number of Arabs in the field, including Moroccan Mohamed Ramah, and Kuwaiti pair Fehaid Al Deehani – a two-time Olympic bronze medallist in Sydney 2000 and London 2012 – and Ahmad Al Afasi.

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    Of the particular challenges he is set to face in Rio, Al Kaabi added: “The time difference is a problem for me because I am jet-lagged. And the weather is cloudy most of the day so the vision is not very clear for shooting.”

    Two more Emirati shooters are representing the nation in Rio with Saif bin Futtais and five-time Olympian Sheikh Saeed Al Maktoum taking part in the skeet competition that starts on Friday.

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