Shaikh Ahmed Al Maktoum’s six-year quest for Olympic glory ended with a historic first ever gold for the United Arab Emirates yesterday after he clinched the men’s double trap shooting event.
Shaikh Ahmed, a member of Dubai’s ruling family, became the first athlete from the UAE to win an Olympic medal of any colour with a superb display of shooting at the Markopoulo Shooting Centre.
The 40-year-old US-educated marksman won with a score of 189 points, kissing both barrels of his shotgun after sealing gold ahead of India’s Rajyavardhan Rathore in silver and Wang Zheng of China, who took bronze.
“I can’t even explain, I’ve worked so hard for four years,” said a delighted Shaikh Ahmed. “I’ve been practicing morning and evening seven days a week, and sometimes a minimum of five days a week - so yes I’m very happy.”
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