Nasser Saleh al-Attiyah poses with his diplomas as he is congratulated by Qatar Shooting and Archery Association president Mohamed Ali al-Maadeed.
By N.D. Prashant/Doha
Ace shooter Nasser Saleh al-Attiyah was basking in the glory of winning two awards from the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) for “exceptional service” to the sport at a function held at Losail yesterday.
Al-Attiyah received two Diplomas of Honour from the ISSF for equalling the world records of 125/125 and 150/150 in the skeet event during the Asian Championships in Doha last year.
His excellent show enabled him to qualify for the Olympics where he bagged Qatar’s first-ever bronze in shooting.
“These awards are extremely special for me as only four or five shooters in the world have been able to achieve that feat and I’m one among them. So it’s a special achievement and will remain close to my heart forever,” said a beaming al-Attiyah, who is on a short break in Doha before heading to Portugal to take part in the World Rally Championship next week.
What makes the awards more special is the circumstances under which al-Attiyah went on to clinch the title without missing a single shot in the two-day skeet event, which was also his last opportunity to qualify for the London Olympics.
Al-Attiyah, who was trying to defend his Dakar Rally title, abandoned the race after his Hummer broke down during the ninth stage. Realising he can’t finish the race, he made a dash to Doha just in the nick of time to register for the qualifying tournament.
The Qatar shooting body battled against time to get al-Attiyah ready and what the world saw over the next two days was simply unbelievable.
The desert wind blew away the best in the business but al-Attiyah held his ground, every shot from his gun hitting the target with pin-point accuracy. After finishing without missing a shot (75-75) in the qualifying round, he shot down all the 150 clay targets in the final to equal the world record and cement his place in the Qatar team for the London Games.
“Yes what happened over those two days is still fresh in my mind. Such things don’t happen every time. It was this phenomenal result that helped me believe that I can win a medal at the London Games,” recollected al-Attiyah, whose bronze at the Olympics came after a thrilling tiebreaker with Russian Valeriy Shomin.
“Al-Attiyah’s achievement has completely transformed the way shooting was looked at in this country. More kids are taking up the sport now which a great sign. I’m confident that we can expect many more shooters to follow his footsteps,” said QSAA president Mohamed Ali al-Maadeed
However, after the success at the 2012 London Games, al-Attiyah’s rally commitments have not allowed him to take part in many shooting events.
“Yes it is true that I have not been able to put in time (for shooting) as I would have liked. I need to give my body some rest. I have also changed my fitness regime and if you see I have also put on some weight. This is to help me cope with the daunting task of competing in both sports,” revealed al-Attiyah, who won the Middle East Rally Championship’s (MERC) Kuwait leg recently.
Al-Attiyah’s Ukrainian coach Viktor Karasov also took the opportunity to tell him about the upcoming Shooting World Cup to be held in Al Ain in April. “Are you going to give me your salary if I compete?,” al-Attiyah joked.
Then on a serious note he went on to add: “Look I’m not sure about it as of now. If I take part in an event I want to give my best. As of now I have not decided.”