KUWAIT: A group photo of the winners in the men’s and juniors’ competitions with the tournament’s organizers.

By Abdellatif Sharaa

KUWAIT: Kuwait's Olympic bronze medalist Abdullah Al-Rashidi finished third in the men's skeet competition of HH the Crown Prince Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah shooting tournament which concluded on Saturday. Rashidi, who had won a bronze medal in the same category during the Tokyo 2020 Olympics in July, settled with a bronze too in Kuwait's top annual shooting tournament as fellow shooting club teammates Abdelaziz Al-Saad and Saud Al-Kandari grabbed the gold and silver respectively.

Meanwhile, Abdelrahman Al-Faihan, who had participated in last summer's Olympics, won gold in the men's trap competition, after finishing ahead of Nasser Al-Miqled and Dhaher Al-Aryani. In women's competitions, Iman Al-Shamma won gold in skeet, while Hussa Al-Zayed claimed the gold medal in air rifle 10m and Mariam Al-Kandari grabbed the gold medal in the air pistol 10m contest.

A large number of officials and fans attended the concluding ceremony of HH the Crown Prince Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah shooting tournament, during which the winners were handed their medals and prizes. HH the Crown Prince was represented by Capital Governor Sheikh Talal Al-Khaled Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah.

A group photo of the winners in the women’s competitions with the tournament’s organizers.

President of Kuwait and Arab Shooting Federations Duaij Al-Otaibi welcomed the guests. "We are honored to organize the second HH the Crown Prince Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah annual tournament, which was held at Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Olympic Shooting Complex and Kuwait Shooting Sport Club in Jahra," he said. He added that the higher organizing committee, which he chaired, was keen to cooperate with state agencies to prepare the shooting complex for the local season with all safety and health precautions in place.

Otaibi said 300 shooters participated in the tournament, where qualified Kuwaiti referees officiated in all games. He reminded that HH the Crown Prince gave instructions to support Kuwaiti youth in general and Kuwait shooting in particular, adding his support resulted in the signing of a cooperation protocol between KSSC and the National Guard, which contributed to having outstanding shooters from the Guard whose levels were developed at the club.

He said Kuwait shooting was able to make significant achievements, most important of which is being the top in Asia in shotgun, besides winning several championships as well as the only Olympic medal at the Tokyo 2020 Games by shooter Abdullah Al-Rashidi. He said shooters Rashidi, Abdelrahman Al-Faihan and Talal Al-Rashidi were chosen among the best 10 shooters in the world. Otaibi concluded his speech by saying that preparations for the Paris 2024 Olympics start from now, and a plan has been set and sent to the Public Authority for Sport.