Ahmed promises his best for 2004 Olympics

Patience and hard work are the most prominent aspects that have stood out in the success story of UAE's top shooter, Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Hasher Al Maktoum.

Sheikh Ahmed created a flutter in the shooting world earlier this month when he went on to notch four major achievements during the course of the World Cup Shooting held in India.

"I believe in myself and I know from experience that nothing can be achieved without patience and hard work in any field," Sheikh Ahmed told the Gulf News in an exclusive chat.

The UAE's champion athlete shot a world record of 187 while capturing the gold and securing an automatic place at the season-ending World Cup Final (to be held in Germany) and a place at the 2004 Olympics in Athens in the double trap discipline.

"This is like a formula for all sportsmen in the UAE. There is no short cut to hard work and to the amount of personal effort to be put in by any sportsman," Sheikh Ahmed spelt out.

Brushing aside the hue and cry made over the report submitted to the UAE National Olympic Committee by Dr. Ahmed Saad Al Sharif, assistant undersecretary of the General Authority of Youth and Sports Welfare (GAYSW), Sheikh Ahmed said: "The associations are there to lend their support to the sportsmen. It is left up to the sportsmen how much they want to work and dedicate their time in pursuit of perfection in their chosen field."

The success at the start of the season has given a lot of cheer and relief to Sheikh Ahmed.
With qualification for the 2004 Athens Olympics firmly in his grasp with a world record to boot, the UAE shooter can now pay adequate attention to fine-tuning his technique and tactics for the remainder of the season.

"It is a great relief," admitted the shooter who is sponsored by Emirates Airline, Oakley and Berretta.

"It's not the gold that matters. I'd rather win the silver and have a spot at the World Cup than take the gold and get nothing by way of advancing in my career," Sheikh Ahmed observed.

"There was so much of pressure. Now all this is off and I can concentrate on correcting some of the minor flaws I have noticed during my shooting," Sheikh Ahmed said.

One of the many things that helped the UAE shooter to touch top level was the continuous practice since last season. "I have worked non-stop with my coach Mohammed Rafael since I returned from the Busan Asian Games," Sheikh Ahmed said while voicing his intention of taking a well-deserved four-week break to be "spent with family and friends".

"It has taken so much out of me that I need to get back into shape and have my mind relaxed and off competition for some time," the UAE shooter said.

After the break will follow a gradual return onto the practice range and start preparations for the next World Cup competition to be held at the end of May in Spain.

Among his objectives lined up by Sheikh Ahmed is to keep in contact with consistency. "Since the pressure is off, I will need to be concentrated on being consistent at the highest level," Sheikh Ahmed maintained.

"The 2004 Athens Olympics are definitely a huge challenge. I can't assure you of winning a medal there. All I can tell you is that one can practice and keep polishing one's technique all the time.

"Then go to the tournament and forget on the aspects of either winning or losing. The emphasis has to be on giving it your best shot and the rewards will automatically follow," Sheikh Ahmed observed.

"One has a job to do and all I need to ensure is that this job is done."