KUUMAR SHYAM (ABU DHABI)
The UAE’s two shooters remain on track to qualify in the men’s Individual Skeet Shooting at the 2026 Asian Games Aichi–Nagoya in Japan on Tuesday.
Saif bin Futtais scored 95 points across four rounds while Mohammed Ahmed recorded 93 points from the same number of rounds.
Both shooters have one round remaining, after which the top eight in the overall standings will advance to the final.
Bin Futtais is better placed in eighth spot currently, while his compatriot is in 15th among a field of 43 shooters.
Meanwhile, UAE swimmer Abdullah Al Ameri clocked 5:09.73 in the men’s 400m individual medley, while Salem Al Yamahi and Fatima Al Suwaidi Hassan scored 617.5 points in the 10m air rifle mixed team qualifying round.
In the women’s road race, Safiya Al Sayegh recorded a time of 2:56:10 over the 91.3km course, which featured 43 riders.
Fencer Faris Al Blooshi contested five bouts in the pool stage of the men’s individual foil, with a 2-3 win-loss record still enough to take him to the Round of 32.
His campaign ended at the stage following a hard-fought bout against Qatar’s Ali Owaida. The Emirati fencer held the lead for much of the contest, but Owaida snatched victory in the closing seconds to win 15–13.
In the women’s individual épée, Zainab Al Hosani also advanced to the Round of 32, where her campaign ended with a 15–5 defeat to Hong Kong’s Chan Wai Ling.
Wednesday’s Line-up
Several athletes remain in contention for the UAE on Wednesday. Abdullah Jassim, Mohammed Al Mutaiwei and Abdullah Al Hammadi will compete in the men’s road race, while Ghaya Shuhail, Reem Al Ketbi and Mahra Al Suwaidi will contest the women’s 10m air pistol event. Bin Futtais and Ahmed will also need to be on target in the skeet competition.
In swimming, Mohammed Al Yamahi will compete in the men’s 400m freestyle. In fencing, Al Hayam Al Balooshi will contest the women’s individual foil, while Ahmed Al Hammadi will compete in the men’s individual sabre.
Zahra Al Hashemi will compete in weightlifting, while the UAE will also be represented in esports by Sultan Abdulrahman, Abdullah Al Muhairi, Sultan Rashid Taheri and Mohammed Al Banna. The UAE football team will also face China in the Games.
Medal Rush
Meanwhile, China continued to lead the overall medal table with 52 medals (31 gold, 13 silver and eight bronze). Japan followed with 45 medals – 11 gold, 15 silver and 19 bronze – while the Republic of Korea trail with 27 medals, comprising six gold, four silver and 17 bronze.
Among Arab nations, Jordan led the standings with three medals – one gold, one silver and one bronze – to sit 14th overall.
The Games run until October 3 with 11,000 athletes from 45 countries competing across 43 sports and 71 disciplines. The UAE is represented by 117 men and 48 women athletes in 21 sports.