Dubai: Shaikh Juma Bin Dalmouk Al Maktoum shot his way to an individual gold medal and helped the UAE to team gold in the double trap at the 2nd Asian Shotgun Championship and Grand Prix being held in Patiala, India.
Competing in the men’s double trap competition held on Saturday at the New Moti Bagh Gun Club in Patiala, Shaikh Juma qualified for the finals in a field of 17 shooters from seven countries with a score of 139 from the first three rounds.
He was followed by Kuwait’s Fehaid Al Dhehani and India’s 2004 Olympic silver medallist, Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore.
In the final, the Asian Games silver medallist from the UAE was at his very best, winning the title with a total of 186, leaving Al Dhehani with the silver and Rathore with the bronze with scores of 184 and 183 respectively.
Shaikh Juma also teamed up with compatriots Saif Al Shamsi and Abdullah Bin Mejren to secure team gold for the UAE ahead of India and Kuwait.
Shaikh Juma dedicated his success to the UAE and its rulers on the occasion of the country’s 41st National Day on Sunday.
“It is due to the wise leadership of His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan and His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum that our country has given us the opportunity to compete and represent the UAE,” Shaikh Juma said.
“It is a proud moment for us all to see the UAE flag fly high at such an important international competition.”
The Asian championships are being held alongside the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh Memorial India Open Grand Prix Shotgun Championship, which last until December 9.
The two competitions have attracted a field of 187 shooters from 17 countries.
Both events are being hosted by the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI).
Of the 187 entries for both competitions, 110 are from Asian countries for the Asian championship and the other 77 for the Grand Prix are from Italy, Turkey, Australia, Scotland and hosts India, who have a strong contingent of 23 shooters in the trap, double trap and skeet events.
