Mohamed Al Rumaihi (second right) celebrates with Qatar Shooting and Archery Association President Ali Mohamed Al Kuwari, on getting the Olympic quota yesterday.
Mohamed Al Rumaihi opened Qatar’s Olympic quota account at the 14th Asian Shooting Championship after finishing fifth in the men’s trap event.
At the Losail Shooting Range yesterday, 30-year-old Rumaihi finished behind Kun Pi Yang of Chinese Taipei, who also bagged the Olympic quota for the Tokyo Games.
“It was not easy competition. Happy to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics and get the first Olympic quota from this championship for my country,” said Al Rumaihi.
A total of 38 Olympic quota places for next year’s Games are up for grabs across the 15 events in the ten-day championship organised by QSSA.
The continental championship is the last chance for Asian shooters to get quota sports for the next year’s Olympics.
“I am very happy right now and as for Olympic preparation I want to enjoy this qualification moment. In the coming days I will be planning the Olympics training programme in consultation with the association officials,” he added.
Kuwait swept the three medals and one of the quota places in the trap event.
Talal Al Rashidi clinched gold in the event followed by Khaled Al Mudhaf and Meqlad Naser, who finished in the second and third position.
There was disappointment for the Indian contingent as Olympian Kynan Chenai, who qualified joint first with 122 out of 125, but finished sixth in the final.
Qatar Shooting and Archery Association (QSSA) President Ali Mohamed Al Kuwari, while congratulating Al Rumaihi for bagging the first Olympic quota, was optimistic of bagging more quotas in the coming days during the championship.
“Happy that we have bagged our first Olympic quota for the Tokyo Olympic Games. Hopefully, we will get more as we have a few good shooters who will be taking part in the upcoming events of the championship,” said Al Kuwari while talking to journalists.
“We missed on the second quota place as Rashid Hamad Al Athba lost in the qualification shoot-out, if he had qualified for the final we were in a chance to get two quotas,” added the QSSA official.
Al Athba, who shot down 71 targets in Tuesday’s three rounds, finished with a score of 120 in the qualifying rounds but lost in the play-off.
Al Rumaihi coach’s name Robert Mlodzianowski from Poland was happy that the Qatari shooter overcame tough weather conditions to clinch the olympic quota.
“The competition was tough. More than the windy conditions the dusty conditions make it difficult for the shooters to spot the target,” said Mlodzianowski.
“We are happy we achieve the target, the Olympic quota which we were targeting in the event,” he added.
Meanwhile, in the team event, Qatar took the bronze as Al Athba and Al Rumaihi teaming up with Saeed Abusharib produced a net score of 354 in five rounds to finish in the third spot.
Kuwait, with a score of 363 finished first followed by India in the second position.
Meanwhile in the women’s trap, overnight leader Ray Bassil of Lebanon overcame a few anxious moments before emerging on top in the gold medal shoot-out against Sarsenkul Rysbekova of Kazakhstan.
Bassil clinched the first place and also bagged the Olympic quota while Rysbekova took silver while Yukie Nakayama of Japan took the bronze.
In the women’s trap team event, Kazakhstan maintained their overnight lead to bag the gold medal. China took silver while Chinese Taipei finished in third place.
Shooters from ten countries had secured 69 quota places before the start of the championship, China has won the maximum possible of two quota in almost every event, 25 in total, followed by Korea (12).
India has nine, before the Qatar event, including all four available in air pistol and three out of the maximum four in air rifle, across genders.
Over 1,500 shooters from 36 federations are taking part in the championship
