Dubai: Shaikh Saeed Bin Maktoum Bin Rashid Al Maktoum demonstrated what the true definition of a sportsman is when he took defeat in his stride and said that he was 'happy to have won the silver medal' in the men's Skeet individual shooting competition at the Asian Games yesterday.
Shaikh Saeed lost in the shootoff to Kuwai's Saleh Al Muttairi after the two competitors finished level on 147 points after six attempts.
"I was not lucky, but I'm very happy to have won a medal. I am very proud," he said and dedicated the medal to President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan and to His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai and to the Rulers of the other Emirates and the people of the UAE.
Ebrahim Abdul Malek, Secretary General of the UAE National Olympic Committee, praised the efforts of Shaikh Saeed.
"We are very pleased with what Shaikh Saeed has accomplished. He came close to winning the gold medal but it was not to be," he said. China's Di Jin won the bronze.
Shaikh Saeed was in excellent form on the second day of the men's Skeet individual shooting competition and only missed two targets, which eventually cost him the gold medal.
Shaikh Talal Al Fahd Al Sabah, the Kuwaiti Olympic Committee chairman, presented the medals to the winners.
Elsewhere the UAE's Mohammad Mustafa Shehab lost the bronze medal in the snooker singles third place play off, going down to Thailand's Atthasist Mahitthi 4-2.
UAE hold Philippines
In chess the UAE drew with Philippines 1.5 to 1.5. Taleb Moussa beat Darwin Laylo; Abdullah Hasan drew with Ronald Dableo and Noora Mohammad Saleh drew with Jedara Docena.
In the equestrian competition, the UAE finished fifth in the team jumping. They they scored 219.2 points. The UAE team comprised Saif Thabit, Abdullah Al Shuaibi, Abdul Rahman Al Habsi and Rashid Al Hossani.
In the individual jumping the UAE's Rashid Al Hossani finished 11th, Saif Thabit 12th, Rashid Al Rumaithi 19th and Abdul Rahman Al Habsi 20th.
