| Issue 4
Nasser Al Attiyah
Winning for his team, his people and his country
Olympic medallist pays tribute to the support of his people and the opportunities offered to his country’ s athletes
Nasser Al Attiyah is not your average athlete. While some know him as the man who won a bronze medal for Skeet shooting in the London 2012 Olympics, others know him as a world champion rally driver.
How does one succeed internationally at two sports? Although some refer to him to as‘ superman’, Al Attiyah admits it is not always easy:“ Juggling between two professional sports and feeling the pressure to be the best in both is very challenging.”
But, according to Al Attiyah, rally driving and shooting complement each other and allow him to excel in both. He has found that he can learn valuable crossover skills by training in both sports rather than one. He explains:“ Shooting has helped me excel in rally driving because of the immense concentration needed. It helped me stay mentally strong.”
It was Al Attiyah’ s dream to win the Dakar Rally – one of the toughest races in the world. When he won the race for the first time in 2011, he recalls that winning meant a lot, not only to him but also to his people, his country, and his team:“ It felt like a great victory because it demonstrated that I was part of the strongest team in the world.”
This ambition and pride did not stop at the Dakar Rally. It followed him straight to winning bronze at the London 2012 Olympics.
While he has represented his people in countless competitions in the past,“ being able to achieve an Olympic medal was a very different level of pride”. Coming home following the Olympics, thousands of people were waiting at the airport upon his arrival. At that moment, Al Attiyah felt something he never had before:“ I felt that the whole country was behind me showing their love and support.
| Nasser Al Attiyah
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