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Prime VIP
Al Ain: Saif Manie Al Shamsi has a big burden on his shoulders as the only Arab representative in the trap competition of the International Shotgun Shooting Federation (ISSF) World Cup Shotgun final today at the Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting and Golf Club.
Not only that but as shooting manager of the club he is also responsible for the organisation of the event and the needs of the participants.
The competition will feature the top 60 shooters in the world in both skeet and trap. Shaikh Saeed Bin Maktoum Al Maktoum will represent the UAE in the skeet while Al Shamsi will compete in the double trap.
Al Shamsi has a glorious record, winning no less than 22 medals in regional, continental and international championships including two golds in the Asian Champions Golden Championship in India in 2008, bronze at the World Championship in China in 2008, silver at the Pan Arab Games in Egypt in 2008 and gold at West Asian meet in Qatar.
He also won the Arab title three times in the past ten years and a silver medal in the teams event at the World Championships in Italy in 2005.
Al Shamsi spoke exclusively to Gulf News about the event:
GULF NEWS: What are your preparations for the World Cup Shotgun final?
AL SHAMSI: Regarding the organisational part, I can assure you that we have finished all necessary preparations and are ready for the start of the competition.
I hope that all the participants will have a comfortable stay in Al Ain and enjoy a good competition at the Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting and Golf Club complex.
As for the competition, I can confirm that Shaikh Saeed has been training very hard and I am sure that he will achieve good results.
For me, to be frank, I was busy with the organisation which was a huge issue and was a pressure which distracted me from full concentration on the training but I do hope with the efforts of my trainer, Shaikh Ahmad Bin Hasher Al Maktoum, that I will achieve good results.
Looking at the long term gains of hosting this event, the presence of 60 best shooters in the world will do the sport wonders in terms of popularising it and help prepare the local shooters best for the Asian Championship in Qatar early next year to win berths at the London Olympics.
How did you manage to train while at the same time supervising the organisational preparations for the event?
I have been in a race against time to do both.
We started the organisation early and increased the time for the training sessions with Shaikh Ahmad in the last week every day of the week because we know the quality of competition we will face in the championship with the top ranked shooters in the world.
How do the ISSF chose the participants of this competition?
The ISSF organises four annual competitions, one World Cup and three World Championships.
The top three winners of each are automatically promoted to take part in this championship in addition to the most highly ranked shooters.
By the way there are 24 ladies among the best top ranked 60 shooters in the world and they will compete in their own events in both trap and skeet.
Who do you expect to win the title?
There are a lot of famous shooters in the event, especially Australian Michael Diamond, Hu Binyuan from China, Peter Russell Wilson from Britain, Daniele Di Spigno from Italy and Ronjon Sidhi from India to name but a few.
But I hope that both Shaikh Saeed Bin Maktoum and Abdullah Al Rashidi from Kuwait will win as, with me, they are the only Arab shooters in the event which will lead to spreading the sport in the region.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Firstly, I would like to express my thanks and gratitude to Shaikh Mohammad Bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, the President of the AESGC, for all the facilities he ordered to be provided in order to achieve unprecedented success with the event, to the management of the club and to the chairman and members of the UAE Shooting Federation for their fruitful cooperation with us.
Secondly, I would like to welcome all the participants in the UAE and wish them a comfortable stay in Al Ain and good luck in the competition.
My appeal to the public, especially the local youngsters, is to come and watch and enjoy the competition and I hope that it will encourage them to practice the sport as it represents an integral part of our heritage in the UAE.
There was no home which did not have a gun in the past and still our homes are decorated with old guns.
