Staff Reporter
Doha: Qatar’s national shooting team delivered a historic performance at the 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, securing two gold medals in the men’s skeet events and giving the Al-Adaam delegation a powerful start to its medal campaign.
President of the Olympic Council of Asia H E Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani presented the gold medals to the Qatari team after they topped the men’s team skeet competition.
The trio of Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah, Rashid Saleh Al-Athba and Ali Ahmed Al-Ishaq produced an outstanding display to finish ahead of Kuwait, who took silver, and India, who claimed bronze. The victory marked the first gold medals for Qatar at the Games, which run until October 4.
Rashid Saleh Al-Athba added individual glory by winning the men’s skeet gold and setting a new Asian Games record. China’s Jianlin Liu earned silver and Chinese Taipei’s Ming Li took bronze, while Nasser Al-Attiyah finished fifth. The double success lifted Qatar’s overall medal tally to four, two gold, one silver and one bronze, following earlier silver and bronze medals won by the national karate team.
Secretary-General of the Qatar Olympic Committee H E Jassim bin Rashid Al-Buenain described the achievement as a significant milestone for Qatari sport. “We congratulate our national shooting team champions on this remarkable achievement,” he said. “Our shooters delivered outstanding performances throughout the competition, successfully translating their extensive preparations and hard work into two gold medals that we cherish. We also appreciate the efforts made by the athletes, the technical and administrative staff, and the Qatar Shooting and Archery Association.”
Al-Buenain added that the medals underscore the strong presence of Qatari shooting at the Asian Games and serve as motivation for the rest of Team Qatar. “We have great confidence in all our athletes and look forward to them continuing to perform at their best, capitalising on the remaining competitions to achieve further positive results and raise the Qatari flag on the podiums,” he said.
President of the Qatar Shooting and Archery Association Dr. Meshaal Al-Nasr praised the result as an honourable achievement dedicated to the country’s wise leadership and to Sheikh Joaan. “The Al-Adaam shooters delivered an outstanding performance, earning them the gold medals in both the individual and team men’s skeet events,” he said. “This achievement is the fruit of the support and attention given to sports and athletes, confirming that Qatari shooting is on the right track.”
Al-Athba expressed pride in securing both individual and team golds. “Praise be to God for this victory. We dedicate this achievement to our wise leadership, to H.E. Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani, whose presence was a great honour and source of support for us, and to the people of Qatar,” he said. “The level of competition was very high. The Asian Games are considered one of the toughest tournaments, but thank God we managed to handle the conditions well and achieved the result we aspired to.”
Nasser Al-Attiyah, who returned to competition after a period of absence, said the team gold brought great joy. “Praise be to God for winning the team gold medal. I congratulate my teammate Rashid Al-Athba on the individual gold. My absence from competitions over the past period had an impact, but trials two months ago gave me a significant boost,” he noted. He added that he is preparing for the World Shooting Championship in Doha, a qualifier for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
Masoud Al-Athba, Head of the Shotgun Department at the Qatar Shooting Association, described the team as the first to bring gold to Qatar at these Games and called the result a major boost for the Al-Adaam champions.
Beyond the shooting range, other Qatari athletes continued to make progress. The national 3x3 basketball team qualified for the quarter-finals with a 21-15 victory over Bahrain, their third consecutive group-stage win after earlier successes against Indonesia and Chinese Taipei. Team manager Yasseen Ismail said the side would give its all in the next round against the winner of the Mongolia-Singapore match.
In beach volleyball, the Qatar 2 duo of Mousa Al-Khair and Ihab Mohamed defeated Sri Lanka 2-1 (21-10, 21-16, 15-10) to record a second successive win in Group D. Mohammed Salem Al-Kuwari, General Supervisor of Beach Volleyball, praised the young pair’s chemistry and potential, describing them as a vital project for the future. The Qatar 1 team of Cherif and Tijan is scheduled to face Oman later in the competition.
Squash player Abdullah Al-Tamimi advanced to the Round of 16 with a 3-0 win over Mongolia’s Yesun Otgonchimeg (11-3, 11-2, 11-2). He faces Japan’s Ryunosuke Tsukue next, aiming to build on his bronze medal from the Hangzhou 2022 Games. Teammate Salem Al-Malki exited after a 3-0 defeat to South Korea’s Na Joo-young.
In esports, Rashid Al-Awlan reached the semi-finals of Gran Turismo 7 before finishing seventh, while the eFootball team concluded its group-stage campaign. Swimming competitions continued, with Ali Tamer placing sixth in the 200m freestyle final after qualifying from the heats.
The results so far reflect the determination of Team Qatar across multiple disciplines. With competitions still underway, officials and athletes alike expressed confidence that further successes would follow in the remaining days of the Aichi-Nagoya Games.