Kuwait tops 'Trap Shooting'... at 'Asiad 2026'
Kuwait wins two golds and two bronzes in trap shooting at the Nagoya Asian Games.
Translated by Qiyas from الراي — Original source
Nagoya, Japan (AFP) – Kuwait dominated the clay target shooting events by winning two gold and two bronze medals at the 20th Asian Games held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, on Tuesday.
Kuwaiti shooter Khaled Al-Mudhaf claimed the gold medal in the individual clay target event in rainy conditions during a thrilling final that was decided in the final moments. He scored 25 targets, setting a new Asian Games record, and finished one target ahead of former Asian champion and Jakarta 2018 medalist Kong-Ping Yang from Chinese Taipei, who took silver.
Al-Mudhaf, who was crowned world champion in 2002, was overcome with emotion when speaking to Qatar’s beIN Sports channel. “One target leads you to gold. I didn’t know the score, and I was focused on hitting my target. I didn’t realize what was happening. But when I saw my teammates cheering while I was still ready to continue shooting due to my intense concentration, I didn’t realize it was the final target...”
Al-Mudhaf adorned his neck with the gold medal in shooting for the second time within hours, having just led the men’s team to first place with a score of 355 targets in a final that featured an all-Arab competition, with Qatar taking second place and the silver medal with 349 targets.
Kuwaiti shooters reclaimed the gold medals in individual and team clay target events, which they had won in 2010, displacing China, Chinese Taipei, and India from the top of the current edition’s standings.
For his part, Duja Al-Attiyah, president of the Kuwait Shooting Club, said, “The results are good, and I am happy for our champion brothers and sisters who excelled at these Asian Games. It was a significant challenge for us following recent events that led to a long suspension of training in Kuwait.”
He added, “The surprise came from the women’s team, which also achieved remarkable results at these Games. I want to extend my congratulations to our sisters who participated in the championship... We look forward to future challenges, as we will compete next month in the World Shooting Championship to be held in Qatar.”
Shooting team manager Meshari Al-Mutairi commented on the team gold medal, saying, “The shooters had the best preparation and training camps before the competitions, which led to success.” He added, “We hoped for more medals in clay and skeet, but overall, the results are satisfactory and acceptable compared to the general outcomes we had expected.”
The Kuwaiti women’s team consisted of Hajar Abdulmalek, Sara Al-Hawal, and Shahd Al-Hawal.
