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Lebanese champion Ray Bassil, competing in the Olympic trap shooting event at the Paris Olympics, hopes to proudly represent the Cedar country, which is increasingly mired in an endless melting pot of problems.
With four days left until the Olympic Games, tension is high among all participating athletes, and Ray Bassil is no exception. The Lebanese shooter is one of the main medal hopes for Lebanon. With numerous victories throughout her career, she approaches these Games with calmness and composure, two essential qualities for excelling in this discipline. Her latest achievement was in May, where Ray Bassil clinched another gold medal in the trap category, one of the two shotgun shooting disciplines, at the ISSF World Championships held in Azerbaijan.
Early Beginnings
Born in 1988 in Dlebta, Ray Bassil started training in shooting at a young age. At the age of 14, she embarked on this sporting adventure alongside her father. Her regional successes quickly followed, and at 16, Ray Bassil won her first major title at the Arab Cup in Algeria (2004). Since then, her career has seen a meteoric rise in her chosen sport. Excelling both locally and regionally, she climbed the ranks with remarkable composure. At her first World Championships in 2009, she finished 5th. She then competed at the London 2012 Olympics, placing 18th, followed by 14th at Rio 2016, and 21st at Tokyo 2021. In 2019, she achieved a significant milestone by winning the title at the Asian Championships.
Clear Objective
“My goal is to win an Olympic medal, not just to participate,” the 35-year-old athlete stated to This is Beirut. Unlike the philosophy of Baron de Coubertin, Ray’s focus is on winning. This discipline demands extreme concentration, impeccable physical fitness and exceptional precision. To excel in Olympic shooting, Ray has established a rigorous and well-structured training routine. Outside her intensive training, she manages a restaurant, works for a Gulf financial company and undertakes projects with the Saudi Arabian Shooting Federation.
A Country in Search of a Podium
“As you can see, my activities are numerous. I have won many titles and medals, and now I will focus my efforts on Paris 2024, aiming to be the first Lebanese athlete to win an Olympic medal since Hassan Bechara’s bronze in Moscow 1980,” she concludes.
Lebanon holds its breath and hopes that Ray Bassil will finally break the long-standing drought and bring home an Olympic medal after 44 years. Fingers crossed.
