Imagen
Man in wheelchair in a shooting range, targeting

Abdulla Sultan Alaryani

Shooting
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Abdullah Sultan Alaryani is coming off his most successful season with double gold at the 2018 World Championships in Cheongju, South Korea. Maybe his most impressive performance in Cheongju was in the R7 (men’s 50m rifle 3 positions SH1). Despite battling illness, he dominated to win by more than 10 points, while other athletes struggled for consistency in all three positions.

Alaryani’s golden moment was only a matter of time.

He was a member of the UAE’s able-bodied shooting team in 2000, but he was seriously injured in a car crash in 2001, leaving him paralysed below the waist. From what started out as an inherited hobby that turned into a professional sporting career.

He returned to competition as a Para athlete at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games, just missing out on the mixed 10m air rifle prone SH1 final by a single place. This he explained at the time, made him very focused for London 2012 and he went on to win gold in R6.

At London 2012, Alaryani won the UAE’s only gold medal then, with the R6 (mixed 50m rifle prone SH1). He claimed victory over Spain's Juan Antonio Reinaldo by just 0.2 points at London’s Royal Artillery Barracks. It made him only the second person from his country to win Paralympic gold at those Games.

In January 2013, he was awarded a National Individual Athlete Award at the Mohammed Bin Rashid Creative Sports Awards, for his exploits at London 2012.

At the Rio 2016 Paralympics, Alaryani secured three silver medals. Two years later at Cheongju 2018, he had the performance of his career.

Biography

Impairment information

Type of Impairment
Spinal Cord Injuries
Origin of Impairment
Acquired
Classification
SH1

Further personal information

Occupation
Athlete, Coach

Sport specific information

Why this sport?
Shooting is a popular sport in his family. After his accident, one of his friends suggested he should try Para shooting. "He urged me to give it a try. I was convinced that I could turn my attention to shooting for the impaired. It was like a new lease of life."
Name of coach
Ahmed Khalil El Hamady [national]; Ahmed Berbksh [national]; Mohamed Hussein [national]

General interest

Injuries
He was affected by a fever and vomiting at the 2018 World Championships in Cheongju, Republic of Korea. He was still able to win gold at the event. (paralympic.org, 11 May 2018)
Sporting philosophy / motto
"I believe that sport is the most important vehicle that can bring people together, establish common ground and resolve conflicts." (britishcouncil.org, 04 Dec 2011)
Awards and honours
He was named Athlete of the Month for January 2016 by the International Paralympic Committee [IPC]. (paralympic.org, 09 Feb 2016)

In January 2013 he received the National Individual Athlete award after winning the mixed R6 50m rifle prone SH1 event at the 2012 Paralympic Games in London. (sport360.com, 07 Jan 2013)
Ambitions
To win a gold medal at the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo. (alittihad.ae, 19 Oct 2018; sport360.com, 20 Sep 2017)
Impairment
In 2001 he was involved in a car accident that resulted in paraplegia. (sport360.com, 05 Sep 2012; thenational.ae, 04 Sep 2012)

Results

Unit Date Rank
Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games (Beijing, China)
Event Medal Unit Date Rank
Men's Free Rifle 3x40 SH1 Qualification 14
Mixed Air Rifle Prone SH1 Qualification 9
Mixed Free Rifle Prone SH1 Qualification 14
2010 IPC Shooting World Championships (Zagreb, Croatia)
Event Medal Unit Date Rank
Men's 10m Air Rifle standing SH1 Qualification 2010-07-17 27
Mixed 10m Air Rifle prone SH1 Qualification 2010-07-19 45
Men's 50m Free Rifle 3x40 SH1 Qualification 2010-07-20 5
Mixed 50m Rifle prone SH1 Qualification 2010-07-23 15
Mixed 50m Rifle prone SH1 Elimination 2010-07-23 4
London 2012 Paralympic Games (London, Great Britain)
Event Medal Unit Date Rank
R1 - Men's 10 m Air Rifle Standing SH1 Qualification 2012-08-31 8
R1 - Men's 10 m Air Rifle Standing SH1 Final Round 2012-08-31 7
R3 - Mixed 10 m Air Rifle Prone SH1 Qualification 2012-09-01 23
R6 - Mixed 50 m Rifle Prone SH1 Final Round 2012-09-04 1
R6 - Mixed 50 m Rifle Prone SH1 Qualification 2012-09-04 1
R7 - Men's 50 m Rifle 3 Positions SH1 Qualification 2012-09-05 6
R7 - Men's 50 m Rifle 3 Positions SH1 Final Round 2012-09-05 6
2014 IPC Shooting World Championships (Suhl, Germany)
Event Medal Unit Date Rank
Men's 10m Air Rifle standing SH1 Qualification 2014-07-19 12
Mixed 10m Air Rifle prone SH1 Final 2014-07-21 3
Mixed 10m Air Rifle prone SH1 Qualification 2014-07-21 5
Mixed 50m Rifle prone SH1 Qualification 2014-07-22 2
Mixed 50m Rifle prone SH1 Elimination 2014-07-22 6
Team R6 - Mixed 50m Rifle prone SH1 Qualification 2014-07-22 3
Mixed 50m Rifle prone SH1 Final 2014-07-22 4
Men's 50m Free Rifle 3x40 SH1 Qualification 2014-07-25 1
Men's 50m Free Rifle 3x40 SH1 Final 2014-07-25 2
Rio 2016 Paralympic Games (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
Event Medal Unit Date Rank
R1 - Men's 10 m Air Rifle Standing SH1 Final Round 2016-09-08 2
R1 - Men's 10 m Air Rifle Standing SH1 Qualification 2016-09-08 3
R3 - Mixed 10 m Air Rifle Prone SH1 Qualification 2016-09-10 17
R7 - Men's 50 m Rifle 3 Positions SH1 Qualification 2016-09-12 2
R7 - Men's 50 m Rifle 3 Positions SH1 Final Round 2016-09-12 2
R6 - Mixed 50 m Rifle Prone SH1 Final Round 2016-09-14 2
R6 - Mixed 50 m Rifle Prone SH1 Qualification 2016-09-14 2
Cheongju 2018 World Shooting Para Sport Championships (Cheongju, South Korea)
Event Medal Unit Date Rank
Team R3 - Mixed 10m Air Rifle prone SH1 Qualification 2018-05-05 7
Team R6 - Mixed 50m Rifle prone SH1 Qualification 2018-05-05 2
R7 - Men's 50m Rifle 3 Positions SH1 Final 2018-05-05 1
R7 - Men's 50m Rifle 3 Positions SH1 Qualification 2018-05-05 1
R3 - Mixed 10m Air Rifle prone SH1 Qualification 2018-05-05 17
R6 - Mixed 50m Rifle prone SH1 Final 2018-05-05 1
R6 - Mixed 50m Rifle prone SH1 Qualification 2018-05-05 4
R1 - Men's 10m Air Rifle standing SH1 Final 2018-05-05 7
R1 - Men's 10m Air Rifle standing SH1 Qualification 2018-05-05 3
Team R7 - Men's 50m Rifle 3 positions SH1 Qualification 2018-05-05 2