Rashid Shafi Al-Dosari
Encyclopedia
Rashid Shafi Al-Dosari (born 8 May 1981) is a Qatar
i track and field
athlete who competes in the discus throw
. He has represented Qatar at the Summer Olympics on two occasions, making his debut in 2000 and reaching the final at the 2008 Summer Olympics
. He was also a finalist at the 2007 World Championships in Athletics
.
Al-Dosari has been successful at the continental level, beginning with two Asian Junior titles, a gold medal
at the 2002 Asian Athletics Championships and a silver in 2007. In other competitions, he was the bronze medallist at the 2007 Military World Games
and has won medals at regional competitions including the Pan Arab Games
, West Asian Games
and Pan Arab Championships. His personal best of 64.43 metres is a former Qatari record
.
. He won at the Pan Arab Junior Championships two years later and made his global level debut at the 1998 World Junior Championships in Athletics
, where he was eighth overall. Al-Dosari was one of the most promising Qatari athletes to emerge at the time, as the small nation was not renowned for producing track and field athletes. He retained his Asian Junior title the following year and also won his first senior titles, with gold medal
s at the Pan Arab Championships and 1999 Pan Arab Games
.
Al-Dosari cleared sixty metres for the first time in Doha
in 2000 and later that season he made his Olympic debut in the discus at the age of nineteen, representing Qatar at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. He did not progress past the qualifying stages on that occasion. Still eligible for junior competition, he returned to compete at the 2000 World Junior Championships in Athletics
, where he came fifth in the final. He was the discus winner at that year's Gulf Cooperation Council Championships and placed fourth at the 2000 Asian Athletics Championships.
In 2001 he improved his best to 62.77 m and threw in the qualifying rounds at the 2001 World Championships in Athletics
. He won his second consecutive gold medal at the Pan Arab Championships in Damascus
. He opened 2002 with another win at the GCC Championships, later making progress at the 2002 Asian Athletics Championships where his winning mark of 64.43 m was not only a Qatari national record
, but also improved upon Yu Wenge's 11-year-old championships record. He ended the year with a fourth place finish at the 2002 Asian Games
. He refused to submit to an out-of-competition drugs test by the IAAF in June 2003 and was given a two year suspension from the sport as a result (from November 2003 to November 2005).
He made his competitive return at the 2005 West Asian Games
in December and won the silver medal
in the discus behind Iran's Ehsan Haddadi
. The next year he had his season's best of 63.49 m in March to win at the Gulf Military Championships and threw the discus 62.11 m at the 2006 Asian Games
to finish as runner-up behind Haddadi. In 2007 he came third at the Pan Arab Athletics Championships, but performed well at the 2007 Asian Athletics Championships with a throw of 63.49 m for second place. He had his second throw over 64 metres at the KBC Night of Athletics
that year, coming third at the Belgian meeting with 64.20 m. He reached his first global final at the 2007 World Championships in Athletics
and finished the competition in eleventh place. His last appearance that season came at the 2007 Military World Games
, where he was the bronze medal
list in the discus.
Al-Dosari gave the second best performance of his career at the start of 2008, clearing 64.25 m for fourth at the Qatar Athletic Super Grand Prix
– a mark which gave him the Olympic standard qualification. At the 2008 Beijing Olympic
he was successful in qualifying for the final and his best throw of 62.55 m in the final round brought him tenth place. He did not compete in 2009, but was selected to represent Qatar at the 2010 Asian Games
. He came in fifth place, but was overshadowed by his Qatari teammate Ahmed Dheeb who broke Al-Dosari's national record to take the silver medal.
Qatar
Qatar , also known as the State of Qatar or locally Dawlat Qaṭar, is a sovereign Arab state, located in the Middle East, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeasterly coast of the much larger Arabian Peninsula. Its sole land border is with Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its...
i track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
athlete who competes in the discus throw
Discus throw
The discus throw is an event in track and field athletics competition, in which an athlete throws a heavy disc—called a discus—in an attempt to mark a farther distance than his or her competitors. It is an ancient sport, as evidenced by the 5th century BC Myron statue, Discobolus...
. He has represented Qatar at the Summer Olympics on two occasions, making his debut in 2000 and reaching the final at the 2008 Summer Olympics
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
. He was also a finalist at the 2007 World Championships in Athletics
2007 World Championships in Athletics
The 11th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations , were held at Nagai Stadium in Osaka, Japan from 24 August to 2 September 2007...
.
Al-Dosari has been successful at the continental level, beginning with two Asian Junior titles, a gold medal
Gold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
at the 2002 Asian Athletics Championships and a silver in 2007. In other competitions, he was the bronze medallist at the 2007 Military World Games
2007 Military World Games
The 2007 Military World Games were held at the twin-cities Hyderabad - Secunderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India from October 14 - October 21, 2007. Some parts of games were also held in Mumbai....
and has won medals at regional competitions including the Pan Arab Games
Pan Arab Games
The Arab Games are a regional multi-sport event held between nations from the Arab World. They are organized by the Union of Arab National Olympic Committees. The first Games took place in 1953 in Alexandria, Egypt. Intended to be held every four years since, political turmoil as well as financial...
, West Asian Games
West Asian Games
West Asian Games are a bi-annual multi-sport event held among the athletes from West Asia.At present, WAG are joined by thirteen members namely Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.The West Asian Games were first...
and Pan Arab Championships. His personal best of 64.43 metres is a former Qatari record
Qatari records in athletics
The following are the national records in athletics in Qatar maintained by Qatar Association of Athletics Federation .-Men:-Women:-Men:-Women:X = unratified due to doping violation-External links:*...
.
Career
He started his international career at a young age, winning his first discus title at the age of fifteen at the 1996 Asian Junior Athletics ChampionshipsAsian Junior Athletics Championships
The Asian Junior Athletics Championships are the Asian championships open for those of age according to junior. It is currently organized by the Asian Athletics Association.-Editions:-Men's records:-Women's records:-References:...
. He won at the Pan Arab Junior Championships two years later and made his global level debut at the 1998 World Junior Championships in Athletics
1998 World Junior Championships in Athletics
The 1998 World Junior Championships in Athletics is the 1998 version of the World Junior Championships in Athletics. It was held in Annecy, France from July 28 to August 2, 1998.-Men:-Women:-Medals table:...
, where he was eighth overall. Al-Dosari was one of the most promising Qatari athletes to emerge at the time, as the small nation was not renowned for producing track and field athletes. He retained his Asian Junior title the following year and also won his first senior titles, with gold medal
Gold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
s at the Pan Arab Championships and 1999 Pan Arab Games
1999 Pan Arab Games
August 15 and August 31, 1999. 5504 athletes from 21 countries participated in events in 26 sports. the opening ceremony that took place in Al Hussein Youth City Stadium was officially opened by King Abdullah II.-Medals won by country:-Group A:--------...
.
Al-Dosari cleared sixty metres for the first time in Doha
Doha
Doha is the capital city of the state of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf, it had a population of 998,651 in 2008, and is also one of the municipalities of Qatar...
in 2000 and later that season he made his Olympic debut in the discus at the age of nineteen, representing Qatar at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. He did not progress past the qualifying stages on that occasion. Still eligible for junior competition, he returned to compete at the 2000 World Junior Championships in Athletics
2000 World Junior Championships in Athletics
The 2000 World Junior Championships in Athletics is the 2000 version of the World Junior Championships in Athletics. It was held in Santiago, Chile.-Men:-Women:-Medals table:...
, where he came fifth in the final. He was the discus winner at that year's Gulf Cooperation Council Championships and placed fourth at the 2000 Asian Athletics Championships.
In 2001 he improved his best to 62.77 m and threw in the qualifying rounds at the 2001 World Championships in Athletics
2001 World Championships in Athletics
The 8th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held at the Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada between 3 August and 12 August and was the first time the event had visited North America...
. He won his second consecutive gold medal at the Pan Arab Championships in Damascus
Damascus
Damascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major...
. He opened 2002 with another win at the GCC Championships, later making progress at the 2002 Asian Athletics Championships where his winning mark of 64.43 m was not only a Qatari national record
Qatari records in athletics
The following are the national records in athletics in Qatar maintained by Qatar Association of Athletics Federation .-Men:-Women:-Men:-Women:X = unratified due to doping violation-External links:*...
, but also improved upon Yu Wenge's 11-year-old championships record. He ended the year with a fourth place finish at the 2002 Asian Games
Athletics at the 2002 Asian Games
-Medal summary:-Men's events:-Women's events:-External links:* - GBR Athletics...
. He refused to submit to an out-of-competition drugs test by the IAAF in June 2003 and was given a two year suspension from the sport as a result (from November 2003 to November 2005).
He made his competitive return at the 2005 West Asian Games
Athletics at the 2005 West Asian Games
At the 2005 West Asian Games, the athletics events were held at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, Qatar. Contested over three days, from 7 to 9 December, it was the first time that women were allowed to compete in athletics events at the Games. A total of 28 events were contested, of which...
in December and won the silver medal
Silver medal
A silver medal is a medal awarded to the second place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, and contests with similar formats....
in the discus behind Iran's Ehsan Haddadi
Ehsan Haddadi
Ehsan Haddadi is an Iranian discus thrower. He is 193 cm and 127 kg.The 2004 Asian Junior Champion, he won a gold medal at the 2004 World Junior Championships in Grosseto, becoming the first Iranian to win a medal at any global athletics competition. In 2005 he won the Asian...
. The next year he had his season's best of 63.49 m in March to win at the Gulf Military Championships and threw the discus 62.11 m at the 2006 Asian Games
Athletics at the 2006 Asian Games
An Athletics competition was contested at the 2006 Asian Games in Doha, Qatar from December 7 to December 12. Twenty-three events were contested for the men while 22 were on the slate for the women. Only the 3000 Meter Steeplechase was not contested for by the women...
to finish as runner-up behind Haddadi. In 2007 he came third at the Pan Arab Athletics Championships, but performed well at the 2007 Asian Athletics Championships with a throw of 63.49 m for second place. He had his second throw over 64 metres at the KBC Night of Athletics
KBC Night of Athletics
The KBC Night of Athletics is an annual athletics event at the Stadium De Veen in Heusden-Zolder, Belgium. It is official presented and sponsored by the KBC Bank.-Men:-Women:-External links:* *...
that year, coming third at the Belgian meeting with 64.20 m. He reached his first global final at the 2007 World Championships in Athletics
2007 World Championships in Athletics
The 11th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations , were held at Nagai Stadium in Osaka, Japan from 24 August to 2 September 2007...
and finished the competition in eleventh place. His last appearance that season came at the 2007 Military World Games
Track and field at the 2007 Military World Games
At the 2007 Military World Games, the track and field events were held at the G. M. C. Balayogi Athletic Stadium in Hyderabad, India from 15 – 18 October 2007. A total of 36 events were contested, of which 22 by male and 14 by female athletes...
, where he was the bronze medal
Bronze medal
A bronze medal is a medal awarded to the third place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The practice of awarding bronze third place medals began at the 1904 Olympic Games in St...
list in the discus.
Al-Dosari gave the second best performance of his career at the start of 2008, clearing 64.25 m for fourth at the Qatar Athletic Super Grand Prix
Qatar Athletic Super Grand Prix
The Qatar Athletic Super Grand Prix is an annual athletics event at the Qatar SC Stadium in Doha, Qatar. Previously one of the five IAAF Super Grand Prix events, it is now part of the IAAF Diamond League. It was first organized in 1997.-Men:-Women:...
– a mark which gave him the Olympic standard qualification. At the 2008 Beijing Olympic
Athletics at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Athletics at the 2008 Summer Olympics were held during the last 10 days of the games, from August 15 to August 24, 2008, at the Beijing National Stadium. The Olympic sport of athletics is split into four distinct sets of events: track and field events, road running events, and racewalking...
he was successful in qualifying for the final and his best throw of 62.55 m in the final round brought him tenth place. He did not compete in 2009, but was selected to represent Qatar at the 2010 Asian Games
Athletics at the 2010 Asian Games
Athletics at the 2010 Asian Games was held in Guangzhou, China from 21 to 27 November 2010. A total of 47 events were contested, 24 by men and 23 by women - matching the Olympic athletics programme...
. He came in fifth place, but was overshadowed by his Qatari teammate Ahmed Dheeb who broke Al-Dosari's national record to take the silver medal.