The UAE won its first Olympic gold medal 19 years ago this month.
Sheikh Ahmed bin Hasher, a sharpshooter, earned the accolade in the men’s double trap competition at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece.
In the shotgun-shooting sport, contestants aim to break clay discs that are fired into the air at rapid speeds. As opposed to traditional trap shooting, double trap features two clay discs being hurled simultaneously. Shooters stand 14.6m from the apparatus that fires the clay targets and are allowed one shot at each disc.
The men’s double trap competition at the 2004 Summer Olympics comprised two rounds. The top six contestants of the qualifying segment moved on to the final round. Besides the UAE, shooters from Sweden, China, Germany and India took part in the final.
China’s Wang Cheng won the bronze medal and Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore from India was awarded the silver.
Sheikh Ahmed’s gold medal win is particularly remarkable, given that he had only taken up the sport when he was 34, seven years before the 2004 Summer Olympics. The first Summer Olympics he took part in were in 2000. After becoming a gold medallist, he took part again in 2008. But because of a heart condition, he was forced to sit out the 2012 London Olympics and retired from the sport. However, he coached English sport shooter Peter Wilson, who secured the gold medal in the 2012 London Olympics.
Sheikh Ahmed is still the only Emirati athlete to win a gold medal at the Olympics. The country earned a bronze in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro through Moldovan-born Emirati judoka Sergiu Toma in the the 81kg judo category, when he beat Italy’s Matteo Marconcini for the third medal.
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Sabri Razouk, 74
Athlete and fitness trainer
Married, father of six
Favourite exercise: Bench press
Must-eat weekly meal: Steak with beans, carrots, broccoli, crust and corn
Power drink: A glass of yoghurt
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Analysis
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Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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What is Folia?
Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal's new plant-based menu will launch at Four Seasons hotels in Dubai this November. A desire to cater to people looking for clean, healthy meals beyond green salad is what inspired Prince Khaled and American celebrity chef Matthew Kenney to create Folia. The word means "from the leaves" in Latin, and the exclusive menu offers fine plant-based cuisine across Four Seasons properties in Los Angeles, Bahrain and, soon, Dubai.
Kenney specialises in vegan cuisine and is the founder of Plant Food Wine and 20 other restaurants worldwide. "I’ve always appreciated Matthew’s work," says the Saudi royal. "He has a singular culinary talent and his approach to plant-based dining is prescient and unrivalled. I was a fan of his long before we established our professional relationship."
Folia first launched at The Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills in July 2018. It is available at the poolside Cabana Restaurant and for in-room dining across the property, as well as in its private event space. The food is vibrant and colourful, full of fresh dishes such as the hearts of palm ceviche with California fruit, vegetables and edible flowers; green hearb tacos filled with roasted squash and king oyster barbacoa; and a savoury coconut cream pie with macadamia crust.
In March 2019, the Folia menu reached Gulf shores, as it was introduced at the Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay, where it is served at the Bay View Lounge. Next, on Tuesday, November 1 – also known as World Vegan Day – it will come to the UAE, to the Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach and the Four Seasons DIFC, both properties Prince Khaled has spent "considerable time at and love".
There are also plans to take Folia to several more locations throughout the Middle East and Europe.
While health-conscious diners will be attracted to the concept, Prince Khaled is careful to stress Folia is "not meant for a specific subset of customers. It is meant for everyone who wants a culinary experience without the negative impact that eating out so often comes with."
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Age: 35
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Favourite book: Changes all the time but my new favourite is Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
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- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
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