Sharjah: UAE shooter Latifa Al Suwaidi forged her name in history as the first Emirati sportswoman to claim a medal in international Para-sport when she claimed bronze in the R2 10-metre Air Rifle Standing competition on Tuesday with 433.9 points at the ongoing International Wheelchair and Amputee Sports (IWAS) World Games 2019 in Sharjah.
German Elke Seeliger took gold while the silver went to Uzbek shooter Malika Kenjaeva.
Commenting on her achievement, Latifa said: “Preparing for this tournament, I doubled my training and hard work to be able to successfully pitch myself against international athletes. I am grateful to have achieved this international honour here in my beloved country.”
Gold medallist Seeliger said: “This gold medal is the fruit of an intensive training programme I followed to the T. I am excited to have achieved this result here in Sharjah. The emirate has done a marvellous job in hosting us at this international event.”
Another Emirati shooter, Abdullah Sultan Al Aryani, broke both his personal and the world records in R7 50-metre shooting as the host country’s shooters made it a 1-2-3 in the event. His previous world record was established with a win at the 2014 IPC Shooting World Championship in Germany, which he beat by three extra points in Tuesday’s competition.
“I cannot express my joy for breaking my personal record and attaining a new gold medal for my country in the process. These achievements would not have been possible without the unwavering support of our leadership, who spare no effort in nurturing athletes in this category of sports. There is no doubt that this achievement will be the foundation for future success in for the UAE at sporting events all around the world,” Al Aryani said.
Fellow shooter Obaid Al Dahmani took home the silver medal while Abdullah Saif Al Aryani, Sultan’s cousin, came third.
In the men’s P1 10-metre Air Pistol competition at Al Dhaid Shooting Club on Tuesday, Latvian shooter Genadijs Sicevs finished on top as Emiratis Yaqoub Al Zarooni and Saeed Al Tenaiji claimed the silver and bronze medals, respectively.
