DOHA (Qatar): Qatar’s Rashid Saleh Hamad’s Tokyo Olympic Games qualification got a shot in the arm after he clinched a gold in the Skeet event at the ISSF Moroccan Grand Prix for Shotgun in Rabat on Sunday.
The two-time Olympian won the shootout with UAE’s Saif Bin Futais, who had to set for second place.
Rashid was happy with his form after taking part in an international event after almost a year’s time.
“Happy to start the New Year and new season on a winning note. Delighted to get gold for Qatar,” said Rashid.
The 34-year-old, who has represented Qatar at the 2008 Beijing Games and 2016 Rio Olympics, shot down 54 targets out of the 60 in the gold medal round.
Saif, on the other hand missed eight targets out of the 60 to finish second.
Overnight joint leader Juan Jose Aramburu of Spain, who shared the top spot at the end of day one with Rashid, took the bronze pushing Russians Demin Sergey, Nikolay Pilshchikov and Aleksey Skorobogatov to the fourth, fifth and sixth positions.
On day two of the event, Rashid continued his good form of day one in the two qualification rounds. He finished at the top among the six shooters who qualified for the final round after the qualification battle.
Asked about his Olympic qualification chances he said: “We have a long way to go, the performance in the next few Grand Prix’s and World Cups will matter.”
Trap shooter Mohammed Al Rumaihi is the only shooter from Qatar who has been able to get the Olympic quota for the postponed Tokyo Games, while six-time Olympian and London Games bronze medalist Nasser Saleh Attiyah is also aiming to qualify for a record seventh Olympics in Skeet event.
Rumaihi, who is among the ten shooters who are in Morocco, will be seen in action on Monday and Tuesday.
“I wish all the trap shooters all the best and hoping that Rumaihi also wins gold in Trap,” said Rashid.
