STORY: Egypt's rifle shooters shine at African championship
DATELINE: Oct. 10, 2023
LENGTH: 00:02:20
LOCATION: Cairo
CATEGORY: SPORTS

SHOTLIST:
1. various of the final of the men's 50m rifle 3 positions
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Arabic): IBRAHIM KORAYIEM, Egyptian shooter
3. various of the final of the women's 50m rifle 3 positions
4. SOUNDBITE 2 (Arabic): HAZEM HOSNY, Head of both Egyptian and African shooting federations

STORYLINE:

Egyptian shooters dominated the 50-meter 3-position competitions with two gold medals on Sunday during the ongoing 16th African Shooting Championships in Cairo.

In the final of the men's 50m rifle 3 positions, Egypt swept the podium with Ibrahim Korayiem taking the gold and booking an Olympic berth for Paris 2024. His teammates Magdi Hafez and Mostafa Kodous earned silver and bronze respectively.

SOUNDBITE 1 (Arabic): IBRAHIM KORAYIEM, Egyptian shooter
"It is an indescribable feeling to secure a ticket to Paris 2024. The achievement today was a dream realized after years of hard work."

Later on Sunday, fellow Egyptian shooter Alzahraa Shaban won the women's 50 rifle 3 positions gold, followed by Kenya's Priscilla Mburu and Hadir Mekhimar of Egypt.

Egypt has so far bagged a total of 34 medals, including 18 golds, to lead the championships' medal tally.

Hazem Hosny, head of both Egyptian and African shooting federations, said that Egypt is currently leading Africa and the Arab world in shooting sports and is on the right track to advance at the international level.

SOUNDBITE 2 (Arabic): HAZEM HOSNY, Head of both Egyptian and African shooting federations
"So far, ten Egyptian shooters are qualified for Paris 2024. We hope to see more qualified Egyptian shooters in the coming days through the remaining competitions in this championship."

Held at Egypt International Olympic City in Cairo from October 1 to 10, the 16th African Shooting Championships has attracted more than 250 shooters from 15 African countries.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Cairo.
(XHTV)