Qatar's Aisha Al Suwaidi in action during the 10m Air Rifle event at the 15th Arab Shooting Championship in Egypt yesterday.
Aisha Al Suwaidi yesterday clinched 10m Air Rifle gold as Qatar claimed their fifth medal at the 15th Arab Shooting Championship in Egypt.
At the Olympic Shooting Center in Maadi, near Cairo, the 24-year-old topped a strong field which included participants from 12 countries. Egyptians Al Zahra Shaaban Muhammad and Hadeer Al Sayed clinched the silver and bronze medals respectively.
Al Suwaidi’s medal yesterday is the third gold for Qatar in the ongoing 15-nation Championships. Qatari shooters Rashid Saleh Al Athba and Reem Al Sharshani also clinched the victory in the mixed skeet event following a brilliant individual effort in the women’s skeet by Al Sharshani on the opening day.
Al Athba, Masoud Saleh Al Athba and Ali Al Ishaq had won the bronze medal in the men’s team skeet event. Al Athba also won a silver medal in the men skeet event.
“The competition was a challenging one,” a jubilant Al Suwaidi said after her win.
“Reaching the final round was a big challenge because there were very talented and elite shooters. However, with my experience, I was able to win this medal. I am thankful to everyone who helped me, especially the training staff, which contributed a lot towards my success,” she said.
“The training I underwent at the Lusail Shooting Complex had a great role in boosting my confidence, especially since the last season because most of the international events got cancelled or we did not get any chance to compete due to the pandemic,” Al Suwaidi added.
Al Anoud Matar Al Nuaimi, a member of the National Teams Committee, praised performance of Qatar’s female shooters in the event.
Majid Al Nuaimi, Secretary-General of the Qatar Shooting and Archery Federation, congratulated the team for their achievements, and wished the shooters more success in the coming events.
“Our shooters have made Qatar proud and we thank the Qatar Olympic Committee for the immense support and motivation which helped us reach our target,” Majid said.
The Championships, organised by the Egyptian Shooting Association with the participation of over 300 athletes, will conclude on Saturday.
