London: One of the UAE’s three Olympic shooters, Shaikh Juma Bin Dalmook Al Maktoum, is eyeing a memorable debut at the Games, where he will be bidding to emulate his mentor.
Shaikh Juma will be competing in the double trap in London, the same event in which guru Shaikh Ahmad Hasher Al Maktoum won the UAE’s first and only gold medal at the 2004 Olympics.
“It is a matter of pride that I am here to represent my country at an Olympic Games. I don’t want to feel any pressure, but everything has gone well with my training,” Shaikh Juma exclusively told Gulf News.
Shaikh Juma was the first member of the UAE squad to land in London a few days ago following a lengthy training camp on the outskirts of Milan in Italy.
He has been accompanied to the Games by Shaikh Ahmad and coach Rafael Mukhamediarov.
Given his experience, Shaikh Ahmad has been anxious to shield his charge from the pressure of the build-up to the Olympics.
“Leave him alone for some time. Let him get his bearings and settle in here first,” he said.
“What I achieved came after years and years of training and concentration, so don’t have too many expectations as he [Shaikh Juma] will first have to learn how to handle the pressure.”
Another UAE shooter, Shaikh Saeed Bin Maktoum Al Maktoum, who has been training in Milan for the last few weeks, is due to arrive on Sunday in time to continue his preparations at the range. He is scheduled to shoot in the skeet competition, which gets under way from next Saturday.
The third UAE shooter, Daher Al Aryani, who will be competing in the trap discipline, has already landed along with Loay Hassan Ahmad Al Naim, the public relations officer of the Fazaa shooting team, and coach Rustam Yambulatov.
Meanwhile, the UAE football squad is expected to land in Manchester on Sunday after completing their preparations in Leinz, Austria, on Saturday.
Officials from the UAE Football Association have already made the journey from London to Manchester to receive the team.
The UAE concluded their preparations with their seventh and final friendly match on Thursday, a 4-2 victory over New Zealand, after which they were given a day off by coach Mahdi Ali.
Ahmad Khalil found his scoring touch to grab a brace, while former skipper Hamdan Al Kamali also got on the scoresheet, with a New Zealand defender completing the scoring with an own goal.
The football team start their Olympic campaign in Group A against Uruguay on Thursday at Old Trafford, followed by their second match against hosts Great Britain on July 29 at Wembley.
Their final match, against Senegal on August 1, will take place in Coventry.
