Dubai: Shooter Shaikh Juma Dalmouk Al Maktoum will be hoping to turn silver to gold as he leads an 81-strong UAE squad at the 2014 Incheon Asian Games from next week.
Shaikh Juma finished behind India’s Ronjon Sodhi to win silver in the men’s double trap at the Aoti Shooting Range at the Guangzhou Games four years ago, when the UAE produced their second best performance at the Asiad with a total of five medals.
Now Shaikh Juma, who has been chosen as the UAE flag-bearer at next Friday’s opening ceremony, is a more accomplished marksman, having represented the country at various international competitions including the 2012 London Olympic Games.
The UAE named the athletes who will represent the country in Incheon, South Korea, on Thursday and the contingent’s best chance of medals probably comes from their nine-member shooting squad.
Shaikh Juma is joined by the experienced hands of fellow double trap shooters Saif Al Shamsi and Khalid Al Kaabi and the trap trio of Hamad Ahmad Al Kindi, Walid Al Aryani and Abdullah Al Falasi. Also in action will be Saeed Al Shamsi, Mohammad Ali Ahmad and Saif Al Mansouri in the skeet competition, while 2004 Athens Olympic Games double trap gold medallist Shaikh Ahmad Hasher Al Maktoum will be lending his experience behind the scenes.
“A lot of expectation will be on Shaikh Juma to go one better in Incheon,” Ahmad Al Raisi, President of the UAE Shooting Association, told Gulf News. “But all our shooters have been training while also participating at international competitions during the summer. This will keep them in a proper competitive frame of mind to peak at the Asian Games.
“But we do not want to put ourselves under pressure. We have a fantastic set of shooters in all three disciplines and each of them is capable of winning medals.”
The three trap marksmen will start the UAE’s shooting campaign as they line up at the Gyeonggido Shooting Range on September 20 and 21. Shaikh Juma and his double trap teammates will be in action at the same venue from 9.30am on September 25. The skeet competition will be held on September 29 and 30.
The UAE participated at the continental competition for the first time when they sent a team to the Bangkok Asian Games in 1978. After failing to open their medals account at the next three Asiads in New Delhi 1982, Seoul 1986 and Beijing 1990, the UAE bagged a silver and three bronze medals at the 1994 Hiroshima Games.
Bangkok 1998 was a disappointment as the UAE returned with just one bronze, before in Busan 2002 the country won two silvers and a bronze.
The UAE’s best performance was recorded at the 2006 Doha Games, where they won three golds, four silvers and three bronzes for a tally of ten medals.
The UAE athletes will start leaving in batches from Sunday in time to attend the opening ceremony of the 17th Asian Games at the Incheon Asiad Main Stadium on September 19.
