Tokyo Olympics: UAE's Saif bin Futtais eyes elusive medal

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UAE shooter Saif bin Futtais trains in Tokyo ahead of the skeet shooting event. — Supplied photo
UAE shooter Saif bin Futtais trains in Tokyo ahead of the skeet shooting event. — Supplied photo

Dubai - A gold medallist at the 2015 Larnaca World Cup, Bin Futtais has tasted great success at the Asian level

By Team KT

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Published: Sat 24 Jul 2021, 8:37 PM

UAE shooter Saif bin Futtais will be determined to clinch an elusive Olympic medal when he begins the country’s campaign at the Tokyo Olympics on Sunday.

Bin Futtais will lock horns with his rivals in the qualifying round of the men’s skeet shooting event on Sunday, hoping to find his best form to earn a place in the final round.


A gold medallist at the 2015 Larnaca World Cup, Bin Futtais has tasted great success at the Asian level, winning seven medals, including three golds.

Having already represented UAE in the 2016 Rio Olympics Games, the 47-year-old knows Tokyo could be his last chance to become an Olympic medallist.


Bin Futtais has been training rigorously in the shooting range since arriving in the Japanese capital for the 2020 Games.

A successful campaign will make Bin Futtais the first UAE shooter since Sheikh Ahmad bin Mohammad bin Hasher Al Maktoum to win an Olympic medal.

Sheikh Ahmad famously won the gold medal at the double trap event in shooting at the 2004 Athens Olympics.

Ahmad Al Tayeb, the National Olympic Committee Director of Technical and Sports Affairs, and the head of the UAE delegation in Tokyo, expressed confidence in Bin Futtais as well as the other UAE athletes in Tokyo.

Al Tayeb said that the UAE athletes have been training very hard from the day they arrived in the Olympic Village.

The senior official also said that the all the five athletes are in top physical condition.

Meanwhile, Victor Scvortov and Ivan Remarenco, the two judokas in the UAE team, will be determined to produce their best performance on the judo mat in Tokyo.

Scvortov, bronze medallist at the 2014 World Judo Championships and the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, will defend UAE colours in the 73kg category on Monday.

Scvortov will face Tommy Macias of Sweden in the round of 32 clash.

Remarenco, bronze medallist at the 2014 World Judo Championships, will participate in the over 100-kg event. He will take on Shady El Nahas of Canada in the round of 32 clash on Thursday.

Swimmer Yousuf Al Matrooshi will make his Olympic debut in the pool when he competes in the 100-metre freestyle event on Tuesday.

In the track and field competition, UAE sprint star Hassan Al Noubi will run in the 100-metre heats on Saturday (July 31). Al Noubi has won the 100-metre and 200-metre races at the national level.


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