Shooter Bahia Al Hamad becomes first Qatari woman to compete in an Olympic Games
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Shooter Bahia Al Hamad became the first Qatari woman to compete in an Olympics when she began her qualifying round in the 10 metre air rifle event at the London Games this morning.
The 20-year-old, dressed in a headscarf, showed no ill affects from last night's opening ceremony where she carried the flag of the tiny gulf nation.
Al Hamad calmly struck a nine with her first shot shortly after the 8.15am start in front of a full house of a few hundred spectators in the indoor range in south east London.
She was one of 56 shooters aiming to claim a berth in the eight-woman final later on Saturday and have the honour of competing for the first gold medal of the London Games.
Qatar, along with Saudi Arabia and Brunei, were the only IOC countries to have never sent a female competitor to the Olympics but all have women participating in London.
Al Hamad, who received a wild card to take part, is not the only woman competing for Qatar in London. Sprinter Noor Al-Malki and swimmer Nada Arakji will represent the nation, who failed to make the cut in the bidding to host the 2020 Olympics but plan to try again for 2024.
Reuters
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments