The 18th Fazza Open Championship for Shooting – Saktoun Rifle brought the talent of Emirati girls to the fore on Saturday, March 17th at the Hamdan Heritage Centre (HHC) shooting range in Ruwayyah.
Emirati shooter Azza Al-Deri finished first place in the Women’s Open Division after scoring a near-perfect 78 points out of a total of 80 in the finals.
Omani shooter, Awatif Bint Khamis came in second place with 75 points and Aisha Bint Saif Al-Derai placed third, who also scored 75 points.
The tournament attracted a staggering 2,500 participants from all over UAE and the GCC, with big prizes up for grabs that included 4X4’s and huge cash rewards.
Charlotte Sarrazin and Anne-Laure Laine, seasoned participants of the HHC Camel Trek, also competed in the championship.
This was Charlotte’s second time participating in the tournament and this time around, she actually made it to the semi-finals and claimed that her training from last year came in very handy for this year.
“I was here last year for the championship, but I didn’t perform that well. Usually, the top 22 contestants move to the next round and this time I have qualified until the semi-finals, so it’s a huge improvement on my part,” she said.
From the training to the shooting, there are several challenging elements in the sport that Charlotte described to Sport360.
“We are given 12 rounds and there are six targets altogether, out of which the top two are just for practice and adjusting the front and rear sight. Once that is done, we have to hit the remaining four targets twice and we only have eight minutes to do all of this. Adjusting the focus is the hardest part, especially since the rifle is also used by other contestants who adjust the iron sights as per their convenience. This is why the aim during the last couple of rounds is always the best,” Charlotte explained.
“We are given points out of a total of 80, but some girls are so good that they often end up getting the same score, so the ranks are decided according to the number of times the shooter has hit bullseye.”
Both Charlotte and Anne loved taking part in the sport and it filled them with even greater love and appreciation for the Emirati culture, which had already been inculcated in them by the annual Camel Treks.
The turnout of this year’s competition drew the attention of the Chairman of the Planning Committee of the National Olympics Committee, Maj. Gen. Dr. Ahmed Nasser Al Raisi, who believes that such competitions provide a good platform for future Olympians to further hone their talents.
“We are discovering new talents and I would like to call on the attention of the shooting federation to develop the skills of our local shooters who have a bright future of reaching the Olympics,” he said.
He further added: “I congratulate the HHC and everyone behind Fazza Open Championship for Shooting for organising this annual tournament. We know that some of best shooters started in traditional shooting and we are giving them the experience.”
Saktoun Rifle shooting is not just a sport, but an important part of Emirati heritage that the HHC has been trying to preserve and promote to strengthen national identity of the UAE.
