Emirati women eyeing Olympic glory

Amna Al Balooshi is not a novice in the sport having begun learning shooting since the age of 13. (Supplied photo)

Emirati girls and women, fuelled by big ambitions and even Olympic dreams, have added sparkle to the 18th Fazza Open Championship for Shooting - Saktoun Rifle organized and supervised by the Hamdan bin Mohammed Heritage Centre (HHC) for locals, residents and GCC nationals, at the Hamdan Bin Mohammed Shooting Range in Ruwayyah, Dubai, a press release said.
More than 1300 men and women shooters from Oman, Yemen, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and UAE are making their presence felt as they train diligently as they target qualification for the finals scheduled to be held on Saturday from 8am.
The second day of competition saw the continuation of heats in the Men's Open, Seniors and Juniors (Boys Under 17) categories on Thursday. Among the Emirati women shooters who are aiming for glory is Aysha Alyassi who is dreaming of representing UAE in the Olympics.
"I want to take part in the Olympics. It's a big dream. I will keep pursuing it," said 24-year-old Aysha who had the honour of coming under the wing of UAE's first ever Olympic gold medallist Sheikh Ahmed bin Hasher Al Maktoum.
"The best thing that happened in my life was learning trap shooting with HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Hasher Al Maktoum. He taught me everything about shooting from A to Z. I also participated in international shooting competitions held in Egypt, India and Cyprus to gain experience," said Aysha who has a personal best score of 75 and was ranked second in a shooting competition held in Nad Al Sheba in 2016.
"This is my second time participating in Saktoun. I'm loving it. My passion is shooting. Whether it is shotgun or Saktoun, I'm determined to achieve my goals," said Aysha who works at Dubai Immigration Office. Amna Al Balooshi may be a newcomer to Saktoun but is not a novice in the sport having begun learning shooting since the age of 13.
"I learnt pistol shooting when I was 13. I won a shotgun competition in Jebel Ali and Fazza tournament for beginners. Now I'm interested in Saktoun," said the 29-year-old Electrical Engineer.
A veteran campaigner is Fakhra Abdullah Al Derai who has been participating in the Fazza Open Championship for Shooting - Saktoun Rifle for the past seven years.
"I was taught Saktoun rifle shooting by my family from a young age. Now I'm teaching my children," said Fakhra, a mother of four from Al Ain. Her daughter came second in the tournaments for Locals last year while Fakhra clinched third position. Fakhra was also ranked first in the tournament for Locals once and has a career best score of 77.
Another Emirati debutant is Fatima Alayan Al Shamsi.
"I have been training for two weeks. I got a score of 65 in training. This is my first time in Saktoun. I like it very much and want to continue shooting," said the 33-year-old policewoman from Abu Dhabi.