Nasser Al-Attiyah had two ambitions growing up -- shooting guns and driving fast cars. Now 46, Al-Attiyah, who is in Delhi to participate at the Shooting World Cup, is one of the world's top rated skeet shooters. Last year he competed in his sixth Olympic games, at Rio. He has a medal too, having won bronze at the 2012 edition in London.
But that's just a part of his sporting career.
Over the past two decades, Al-Attiyah has made a name for himself in rally racing. He has competed in the WRC series 12 times, and won the WRC2 and WRC3 (limited to production based cars) championships three times. The Dakar Rally, however, is what's truly given him name. He's won the grueling 12000 km-long race twice, in 2011 and 2015.
For the world around him, Al-Attiyah is a phenomenon - one who balances the needs of his shooting career with rallying - and producing world class performances in both. The man himself doesn't think much of it. "I love shooting and I love rallying. That is important. If you don't, you won't be able to last in either," he says.
Al-Attiyah says the two sports complement each other. "Shooting has helped me a lot in driving. Especially in maintaining concentration," he says.
Indeed it was the reason he took up the Olympic-style event itself. Father Saleh Al-Attiyah was a keen hunter and Nasser took to it too. "My first dream was to be a rally driver. When I turned 18, I got my license and my father bought me a Nissan Patrol," he says.
While he won his first few national championships, father Saleh advised him to take up clay target shooting. "My father said 'Nasser, you are a hunter. If you want to improve, you need to practice clay pigeon. It will help you concentrate and help your mind to be strong'. And later when I realised I was getting good at it, I decided to keep shooting," he recalls.
Not that it took long to realise he was good at it, though. Eight months after he took up skeet shooting, Al-Attiyah, then 26, won silver at the Asian Championships and qualified for the Atlanta Olympics. He came close to winning a medal at the 2004 Games in Athens, where he finished fourth before claiming bronze at the 2012 event.
At one point, Al-Attiyah was balancing three demanding sports at the same time. He was an equestrian showjumper for a while before giving that up because of fears of injury. "I wasn't scared of getting hurt, but if I injured my hand that would have prevented me from shooting or driving," he says.
Injuries are a constant threat on the Dakar rally. "Physically it's a lot harder than shooting. When I compete in Dakar, I often find that I have lost eight kilos over the race because of stress and sweating," he says.
There is often the possibility of a single mistake costing him dearly. Only a month ago, Al-Attiyah was leading the rally when he suffered an accident. "The car hit something and the rear wheel got smashed. Somehow I managed to drive the car on three wheels, like a tricycle, to the next stage. But there I was given a six-hour penalty," he says. Faced with the prospect of driving a battered car for the remainder of the rally, Al-Attiyah reluctantly retired.
He isn't done though. "I definitely want to compete in another Dakar rally. I know if I keep myself fit, I've got a few more chances to win it," he says. The same goes true for his shooting too. "It's my goal to compete at the Tokyo Olympics. I don't think there have been many shooters who have done that. I want to win there as well. This is my dream. I hope to get a gold medal." he says.
So, at least for a few more years, Al-Attiyah will continue to balance his two passions. After the Delhi World Cup, he will return home to participate in the Dubai Rally Championships. It's not the easiest routine to manage. But it is something he has advised others - including India's own CS Santosh, who competed in the Dakar rally this year.
"We're good friends and push each other all the time. He asks me many times for advice. I tell him you need to learn shooting because it will help you become a better racer," he says.
The next Dakar is a year away and the Olympics another three. Whether or not he does manage to achieve what he has set out to, there's no denying Al-Attiyah is already a bit of a legend in Qatar.
"My story is included in the history books for school children. After reading about me, a lot of youngsters want to participate in shooting and racing," he says. "I agree that it would be good for more young shooters to get into the sport but they have to earn their place. The Qatar government says if you find another Nasser, we will let you retire. Until now there is no one else like me, so I keep shooting."