Agencies/Doha
Abdullah al-Sunaidi will go for glory today in the 10m Air Rifle (60 shots) at the Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing, in what will be the first time that he would be competing against the world’s best junior shooters.
More than 3,500 talented young athletes aged 15-18 from across the globe are in Nanjing for the festival of elite sporting competition where they are competing for medals in 28 sports, each looking to fulfil their potential as the Olympians of tomorrow.
Al-Sunaidi is part of a 21-member team of young Qatari athletes that are competing across seven disciplines, including athletics, handball and table tennis.
Having taken up the sport just three years ago, Abdullah’s qualification for the Youth Olympic Games is a remarkable achievement in itself.
He was encouraged to participate in shooting by his older brother. Shooting talent is clearly in the al-Sunaidi’s blood and he has definitely made rapid progression.
Now with a gold medal under his belt, which he secured at the HH Emir Cup and having achieved qualification standard for the Youth Olympic Games with an outstanding performance at the Asian Shooting Championships in Kuwait in March, Abdullah is confident going into his first day of competition.
“I absolutely love shooting. I love the focus and concentration required to hit the target and how my mind completely clears when I am competing.
“I also love the pressure of competition and I cannot wait for my qualifying rounds of the Youth Olympic Games to begin. I have been training hard six hours a day, six days a week to prepare, with extra focus on breathing techniques to keep my nerves in check. Despite the tough competition, I hope to set a new personal best and make Qatar proud,” he said.
Abdullah’s performances are the latest testament to Qatar’s continued development in shooting over recent years. President of the Qatar Shooting and Archery Association (QSAA), Mohamed bin Ali al-Ghanem al-Maadeed said: “We are incredibly impressed by Abdullah al-Sunaidi’s qualification for the Youth Olympic Games after such a short time in the sport.
“If this is the level that he can get to with just three years’ experience, then he has a very exciting career ahead indeed.
“We are very pleased that the profile of shooting is continuing to increase following the success of our shooters over recent years.
“We are focused on the grassroots development and high performance management of our sport and there is a lot of talent beginning to emerge as a result. The future of shooting in Qatar looks very bright.”
Secretary General of the Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC), Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman al-Thani said: “Abdullah al-Sunaidi is an excellent example of what can be achieved through hard work, dedication and an excellent support system.
“He is a fantastic role model for the youth of Qatar and I have no doubt that he will be an inspiration to aspiring young shooters.
“We are a nation with talented youngsters and the Youth Olympics is exactly the stage for our athletes to shine. I want the nation, especially our young people, to be inspired by the stories of our young athletes, to learn about their challenges, support their performances and celebrate their achievements.”
The QOC has launched an exciting new campaign, #RepresentQatar, to showcase the whole of Team Qatar as they compete on the world stage.
By simply following QOC on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and following the hashtag #RepresentQatar, all sports fans can get to know the athletes through exclusive behind the scenes content. The campaign will also follow the progress of each athlete, providing live results and progress reports.