UAE sportsperson of the week: Khaled Al Kaabi, Emirati Olympics-bound shooter

Ahmed Rizvi introduces UAE Olympian Khaled Al Kaabi, who qualified for the 2016 Summer Games after a stiff battle at the Asian Shooting Qualfiers in New Delhi.

Khaled Al Kaabi, in baseball cap, and Sheikh Ahmed bin Hasher Al Maktoum, to his left. Photo Courtesy / Mustafa Alamiri of UAENOC

DUBAI // Khaled Al Kaabi is hoping to emulate his hero and coach, UAE’s only Olympic gold medal winner Sheikh Ahmed bin Hasher Al Maktoum, at the Rio Games this summer after prevailing in a stiff qualifying battle.

Al Kaabi beat off stiff competition to qualify for the Olympics

An Abu Dhabi Police First Warrant Officer, Al Kaabi qualified for the Olympics by winning the double trap gold at the Asian Shooting Qualifiers in New Delhi, ahead of Kuwait’s Fehaid Al Deehani, a bronze medal winner at the 2000 Sydney and 2012 London Games.

He only had two years of shooting experience behind him

Al Kaabi, who took up the sport of shooting just over two years ago, shot a 28 in the 30-shot semi-final, while Al Deehani shot a 27 to secure the second Rio double trap qualifying spot and the hopes of Indian aspirants Mohammed Asab and Ankur Mittal. In the gold medal match-up, Al Kaabi fought back from 11-9 down to snatch a 26-25 win over the Kuwaiti veteran, who was competing as an independent participant due to his country’s suspension from the International Shooting Sport Federation.

After starting life as an archer, Al Kaabi is delighted to be heading to Rio

“I am really pleased with what I have achieved in my career over two and a half years,” said Al Kaabi, who was an amateur archer until 2013. “I did not have any time for sport because of work and college, but after I finished my studies, I managed to get some free time for sport. Now I train seven hours a day, five days a week, between Nad Al Sheba and Al Ain, and I am really happy with how things are going. I won the gold medal at the Arab Championships in Morocco last October and now I am headed for the Olympics.”

Visibilty issues and tough competition, but Sheikh Ahmed’s guidance helped

Al Kaabi said he had faced many “difficulties and challenges” in his bid to qualify for the Rio Olympics and thanked Sheikh Ahmed for his guidance and support. “The visibility in New Delhi was an issue and then we had the best shooters of Asia, all keen to get those two qualifying spots,” he said. “We had two of India’s best shooters and, of course, Kuwaiti hero Al Deehani. So I had to really stay focused on my performance and try not to think about the others because that would have been a distraction.”

Sheikh Ahmed led the way in 2004 and Al Kaabi hopes he can repeat that feat

Having qualified for the Olympics, Al Kaabi is now gunning for glory in Rio. Sheikh Ahmed had won the double trap gold at the 2004 Athens Games and having qualified for the same event, Al Kaabi is hoping he can follow in the footsteps of his hero. “Qualifying for the Rio Olympics is not the end of our journey,” he said. “This was just one of the stops. Now we start the next phase of our journey and our goal now is to shoot for the podium in Brazil.”

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