The star of the national team, Obaid Al-Duhmani, at the age of 53, continues to achieve success in para-shooting. He added his 50th gold medal to his record, alongside his teammates Abdullah Sultan Al-Arayani and Saif Al-Naemi, after winning first place in the 50-meter rifle (3 positions) event at the 2025 Para Shooting World Cup, held in the city of Al Ain and concluding on November 5th. Al-Duhmani, along with Al-Arayani and Al-Naemi, also won a bronze medal in the team 50-meter prone event. This victory was not just a record, but a testament to a long will and challenge. Al-Duhmani overcame his physical disability and polio to prove that passion and perseverance can write a golden history in Emirati para-shooting. His physical disability and polio, which he has had since childhood, did not stop Al-Duhmani from taking on the challenge with great family support and special care. He began his sports career with Al Ain Club in 2001, participating in several sports, starting with athletics where he won a bronze medal at the Afro-Arab Championship in Egypt, then basketball, before finding his calling in shooting in 2006, achieving his first gold medal in 2008. Obaid Al-Duhmani told "Al-Ittihad": "My love for shooting dates back to my childhood. My marriage and settling in Al Ain city in 1997 were a turning point that allowed me to get to know the Al Ain Club for the Disabled and engage in the sports field. During that time, I achieved remarkable achievements in several sports before I focused on shooting." He added: "Using my leisure time for sports activities pushed me to join the club. I practiced shot put and won a medal in the first year, and I also participated in basketball and won a bronze at the 2009 Gulf Cooperation Council and a silver at the 6th Gulf Games in Kuwait in 2014." Al-Duhmani revealed discovering his real talent in shooting in 2008 when he competed against able-bodied athletes, saying: "The Officers' Club in Abu Dhabi organized the first shooting championship for able-bodied athletes in 2005, and the disabled were later invited to participate. I managed to get second place, then first place in the next edition." Al-Duhmani added: "Focusing on shooting after forming the Al Ain Club team gave me the ability to win my first gold medal with the national team at the 2006 World Championship, then achieving four silver medals at the 2009 Korea Open, with a world record of 598 points." He noted his participation in four categories: "10m Air Rifle Prone, 10m Air Rifle Standing, 50m Rifle Prone, and 50m Rifle 3 Positions" and achieved many achievements, the most prominent of which is gold in the 50m rifle at the 2014 Asian Para Games in South Korea. Al-Duhmani said: "The following years formed a golden period, where I won gold in the 10m Air Rifle Standing at the 2015 World Cup in America, gold and bronze at the 2016 World Cup in Thailand, five medals in 2017 at the World Cup in Thailand, and another in Al Ain." He added: "In Emirati para-shooting, I achieved a difficult world record in 2016, when I scored 1155 points in the 50m Rifle (3 Positions) event alongside Abdullah Sultan Al-Arayani and Abdullah Saif Al-Arayani." Al-Duhmani spoke about his Paralympic participations, saying: "Since London 2012, we achieved fifth place in the team 50m (3 positions), and in 2016 I set a new personal record, but I was unable to participate in Tokyo 2020. I look forward to achieving a qualifying standard for the 2027 Pan American Games through the World Cup, which will also be held in Al Ain in 2026." He also referred to a difficult experience at the Asian Championship in China, which was a qualifier for the Paris 2024 Olympics, saying: "Despite scoring 607 points in the 10m Air Rifle Standing, I only got ninth place, but the discovery of a cheating case by one of the Chinese athletes brought me back to the final competitions, and I was able to finish the competition in the top four and qualify for the Paris Olympics." Obaid Al-Duhmani: "My 50 gold medals are not the end... I still strive for more. My marriage and settling in Al Ain city were a turning point for my engagement in the sports field."
