Doha: The skeet competition kicked off Tuesday with a commanding start at Lusail Shooting Complex, featuring marksmen and markswomen in the categories of men, women, boys, and girls on the second day of the Asian Shotgun Championship Doha 2026.
According to Qatar News Agency, the tournament is set to continue until 21 January, with the participation of 196 marksmen and women representing 17 nations. In the men's category, marksmen contested 50 targets over two rounds, with 25 targets in each round. The results saw Kuwaiti marksman Mohammed Al Dehani top the leaderboard with a perfect score of 50 targets, followed by Emirati Mohammed Ahmed in second place with 49 targets, and his compatriot Saif Bin Futeis in third with 48 targets.
Uzbekistan's Bekruz Sharapov secured fourth place with 48 targets, while Qatari Rashid Saleh Al Adhbeh ranked fifth with the same score. In the women's category, markswomen shot 50 targets over two rounds. Qatari Reem Al Sharshani claimed first place with 49 targets, followed by Kazakh Orinbay Asim in second with the same score, and her compatriot Olga Kaylova in third with 48 targets. Korean Kooki Jang placed fourth with 48 targets, while Qatari Hajar Mohammed finished fifth with 47 targets.
In the boys' category, marksmen competed on 75 targets across three rounds. Kazakh Vladislav Zavodilenko took first place with 48 targets, followed by his compatriot Maxim Bushivalov in second with 67 targets, and Qatari Muteb Ali Al Marri in third with 66 targets. In the girls' category (Asian Grand Prix event), which featured eight markswomen shooting 75 targets over three rounds, Kazakh Evelina Sik secured first place with 66 targets, followed by her compatriot Lidia Basharova in second with 65 targets, and Taipei's Yun Jia Shung in third with 64 targets.
In the men's team skeet competition, the Kuwaiti team, composed of Mohammed Al Dehani, Abdullah Al Rashidi, and Abdulaziz Al Saad, won first place with a total of 145 targets. The Qatari team, comprising Rashid Saleh Al Adhbeh, Mohammed Ahmed Al Kuwari, and Ali Ahmed Al Ishaq, placed second with 142 targets, while Saudi Arabia finished third with 141 targets. In the women's team skeet contest, the Qatari team, comprising Reem Al Sharshani, Hajar Mohammed, and Sara Mohammed, led with 142 targets, followed by Kazakhstan in second with 141 targets, and China in third with 134 targets.
In the youth team skeet contest, the Kazakh team clinched first place with 204 targets, while the Qatari team of Muteb Ali Al Marri, Jassim Mohammed Al Yafei, and Abdulrahman Ahmed Al Hirm secured third with 183 targets, with Kuwait also finishing third with 153 targets. The tournament continues Wednesday with the qualifying rounds of skeet (50 targets), followed by the finals for the youth and girls' categories, while the men's, women's, and mixed team skeet finals will be held on Thursday, with the following day featuring the mixed team final (men-women).
Upon wrapping up skeet competitions, official trap training will take place on Saturday, with qualifying rounds for all categories on 18'19 January, followed by the youth and girls' trap finals on Monday, 19 January, and the men's, women's, and mixed team trap finals on Tuesday. The championship will conclude on Wednesday, 21 January, with the mixed team trap final (men-women).
The Qatari squad includes 12 marksmen and women, most notably Rashid Saleh, Mohammed Al Rumaihi, Reem Al Sharshani, Ali Ishaq, Mohammed Al Kuwari, Saeed Abu Shareb, Angelo Scalzoni, and Ray Bassil. The squad intends to continue its series of positive results, capture medals, and ascend the podium.
Assistant Secretary of the Qatar Shooting and Archery Federation and Deputy Director of the Championship, Ahmed Yahya Al Nuaimi, lauded the high-level competitions showcased by the marksmen on the first day of the skeet event. He highlighted the participation of elite shooters from across Asia, including world and Olympic champions, which elevated the technical standard and posed a significant challenge to Qatari marksmen.
Al Nuaimi added that hosting this tournament in Doha represents a golden opportunity for Qatari marksmen to leverage home-ground advantage and public support to deliver their best performances and achieve incredible results, ultimately augmenting the outstanding record of Qatari shooting. The organizing committee has provided all essential facilities and conveniences for the participating delegations, ensuring the full mobilization of organizational and logistical capacities, Al Nuaimi underlined.
Finally, Al Nuaimi noted that the organizing committee received numerous accolades from the heads and members of delegations from various Asian countries, who applauded the sophisticated infrastructure of Lusail Shooting Complex, renowned among the best globally, along with the precision of organization and the smooth execution of logistical and operational procedures.