BRITON TELLS HOW HIS UAE SHOOTING GURU HELPED HIM WIN GOLD AT LONDON 2012 OLYMPICS
Charles and Fiona Wilson never dreamt their son Peter would one day come home with an Olympic gold medal round his neck. As the only child raised on their farm in Dorset, UK, Peter sat watching Shaikh Ahmad Hasher Al Maktoum, the UAE’s only Olympic gold medallist, triumph at the 2004 Athens Games.
Something about this champion struck a chord with Wilson and he decided to pursue the sport seriously. In 2006, he was already shooting with the British Shooting team at various junior championships all over Europe. But that was without any emotion or purpose. One year later, he summoned the courage to ask Shaikh Ahmad if he would coach him. The Olympic champion merely replied: “Maybe.” To Wilson, that one word meant “yes”. Eight years down the line, it was Wilson himself who was proudly wearing an Olympic gold around his neck at London 2012 after winning the double- trap event. Shaikh Ahmad had completed a full circle after first being a champion shooter and then becoming champion coach. Wilson, was in Dubai recently to spend some time with his “second father” and spoke to Excerpts: How has life been for you since you won the doubletrap gold medal at London 2012? My life has completely changed. It went from nothing to something overnight. I had been relentlessly training, training and training for the last six years and for the last four years with Shaikh Ahmad as my coach. He is a task- master; he works you pretty hard. So with him [ as coach], my focus had been entirely on winning the Olympic Games. And now, having won the Olympics, my purpose is doing events, enjoying myself and having an amazing time. Into the bargain, I am also getting a bit of sponsorship. But a major part of my time has been spending time with my family. How special is Shaikh Ahmad in your success story? I have said it time and again that without Shaikh Ahmad Hasher Al Maktoum as my coach I would not have the Olympic gold in London. This man is the world’s greatest coach in my eyes and I think in a lot of peoples’ eyes. He is truly the greatest of greatest champions in shooting. For him to come on board and help me when everyone in UK had dropped me and left me, it was pretty special. If I were
Honestly, I think I always believed I could do it. Only about two years ago did I really believe that I could win an Olympic medal. My silver medal at the World Cup event in Chile in 2011 was special. It was the turning point really. How did shooter? I have been shooting double trap for six years now. The last four years with Shaikh Ahmad and two years before that, without him. I was a completely different shooter and a completely different person. In the first two years of my career, I was a talented young shot. I had no idea what I was doing.
you
evolve
as
a Sometimes I hit, sometimes I missed. I lacked knowledge. With Shaikh Ahmad I have a wealth of knowledge. Now, I understand myself and I understand my mind, my technique and why I miss when I do. He taught me a totally different technique. What occurred happen? I watched Shaikh Ahmad winning the gold in 2004. I took up the sport in 2006. So one day when I saw him at a World Cup and I said to myself: “Wow, that is Shaikh Ahmad Al Maktoum. That guy has won the Olympics by ten targets.” That’s so insane. In shooting it is mind- boggling. It is absolutely mental. I did not under-
for
this
to stand that he came from the Royal family. I only knew that he was an Olympic champion. That, to me, meant everything. One day I plucked up the courage to go and say hello and told him I was a big admirer of his. Slowly, over the year, we became friends, and by the time we were in Beijing for the [ 2008] Olympics I found that my funding was going to be cut and British Shooting was shrinking from 55 to six shooters. So I thought to myself “what would I lose if I walked up to him and ask him if he would help me out?” He would probably say “no” or better still say, “yes”. So I walked up to him in the athletes’ lounge and asked him if he would consider coaching me. He said
I believe the UAE can be the best in shooting, but they need to invest in the right people. They need to have the dedication to become champions and that depends on that individual. It has to come from him. It’s down to that one day to get all things falling in place. Talent, drive and good coaching and the jigsaw has to fall in place at the right time.
I am 26 years and I am lucky enough to say that I have achieved everything that I wanted to achieve in my life. I believe I can go to another Olympics and win there as well against some of the best shooters in the world. I would love nothing more than getting that feeling all over again. I will take a year off from competitive training and have a year training on the new system. Championships in South Korea Gold medal at 2008 European Union meet in Germany Holder of six Greek records in 75kgs division A member of the Greek Olympic team for ten years